Well, tough.

[purepurple]

A report that makes sense to me.
Parenting style is more influential than income.
Tough love is the way to go!
I do a lot of tough love, how about you?

How could empathy be bad? How can self-regulation be bad? How can application be bad?

Everybody should be empathetic to a degree, every one should be able to exercise self-control, everyone should be able to apply themselves. They encompass attributes like determination, self-belief and confidence.

How is empathy "not always a useful skill"? Why does it have to be a "skill" instead of a helpful part of character which is there when available?

The researchers tried to take away factors like economic status. They didn't blame disadvantaged parents for poor parenting, they said poor or rich, good "parenting" (ghastly verb) is what counts. So good parenting can overcome disadvantages of status, and bad parenting can undo the benefits of birth and class status.

I agree that it is useful to examine the study in detail for the techniques, criteria, confounding factors and so on. Trying to say the qualities they found positive are in fact negative is stretching it too far.

The article I read said children need warm engaged parents and boundaries.Not exactly rocket science.Don't call that 'tough love'myself It seems to have been a journalist who coined that.
Also lots of facts about how children living with both MARRIED parents did much better than those in single parent,step or cohabiting families