The Onion Satirizes Parenting Studies, Chaos Ensues
"Study Finds Every Style of Parenting Produces Disturbed, Miserable Adults", reads the headline in satiric newspaper, The Onion.
The satiric blurb which was highlighting the absurdity of many parenting studies was taken a little too seriously by nervous parents who inundated the real, unconnected and slightly annoyed, California Parenting Institute with concerned calls.
The fake researcher from the Institute says in the blurb :
"Our research suggests that while overprotective parenting ultimately produces adults unprepared to contend with life's difficulties, highly permissive parenting leads to feelings of bitterness and isolation throughout adulthood,"
The blurb went on to say that no matter which parenting style is employed, the result is: "a profoundly flawed and joyless human being". Which is kind of true.
The story, and following uproar, highlights a truth about the "science" of parenting. The studies always result in making you feel badly about the way you parent your own children. If you took every parenting study seriously, you wouldn't be able to face your kids in the morning, nor yourself in the mirror.
It doesn't matter what you do, how much you study, theorize or memorize, your kids will grow into flawed humans with joyless days, as well as good ones. And that will be true whether you are over-protective or free range, brick wall or jellyfish, Tiger Mom or Panda Dad. We do everything wrong and we are just waiting for some researchers to tell us that.
Did you see the Onion story? Did you think there was a ring of truth to it?
Want more chaos? Last year, I wrote about a scare I had at a gas station. Not sure if I'm over it yet.
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