According to a book I'm reading, parenting experts make no difference at all.

[edam]

Anyone read Freakonomics? Has a chapter looking at the available data on parenting and academic achievement. Divorce, going to museums, watching TV and reading have nothing whatsoever to do with how well children do in school - at least American children. What does matter is the socioeconomic status of the parents, of course.

The authors, an unconventional economist and a journalist, say bad parenting - neglect or abuse - has an effect, but parents who follow expert advice or all the latest fads designed to help children achieve have no effect at all. Which I thought was comforting.

Sounds about right to me. I've always thought we give ourselves too much power and think we have more effect on our kids than we actually do have. It's a form of egotism really.

As long as we love and take care of them as best we can I'm not sure all the other stuff (i.e. feeding them only pure food, not letting them watch TV, filling the house with books, banning playstations etc) really makes any difference at all but then if that is true what would we have to argue about on mumsnet?

But a bit of, you know, healthy neglect, like just for instance letting your children OD on CBeebies while mummy has a tiny bit of a hangover on a Sunday morning to take a very random example which of course would never take place in the Inferiority Complex, that doesn't count as Bad Parenting, of course, does it?

So- all the museums etc are useless, the fact we're poor means they stuffed.

Bugger.

Peachyclair - don't worry - the museums etc surely have a positive effect at least for nothing other than spending time interacting with your children. I think it's more to do with whatever Biddulph et al spout forth creating fads and complexes rather than good, positive parenting.

Just read this book too. Yes the parenting chapter is interesting - less about being poor per se, but the impact on your kids is more about "who you are as parents" and less about "what you do as parents". A challenge for those who try to bring about social change...

Interesting book though. Would definitely recommend it as it stimulates thought.