Developmental Scientist Shares ‘Anti-Parenting Advice’ And It Goes Viral
In a viral Tweet, mother and developmental scientist Dorsa Amir decries the “excessive pressure on parents in the West.”
Parenting advice can sometimes be overwhelming, and parents can quickly feel overwhelmed. However, developmental scientist and American mother Dorsa Amir offers a dose of anti-advice for parents who feel these social pressures.
“I am a developmental scientist who studies how children grow and learn across cultures.
I am also a mother who feels the great pressure on parents in the West,” he wrote. “There are some things you can worry about less. »
I am a developmental scientist who studies how children grow and learn across cultures. I’m also an American mom who feels the extreme pressure on parenting in the West. I’m here to give you some Anti-parenting advice – here are a few things you can worry about less: 1/?
—Dorsa Amir (@DorsaAmir) January 16, 2023
According to Dorsa, the first thing parents have to give up is wanting to make every moment with their child a learning opportunity. Children should be allowed to be bored, to develop their own activities and ideas, to resolve social conflicts on their own.
“First: everything doesn’t have to be ‘educational’.
It is perfectly acceptable for children to play for the sake of playing. They don’t need to learn the alphabet or animal sounds. They can just do what they want. They are CONSTANTLY LEARNING! He wrote to Dorsa, reminding him that the children learn by observation and “are very good at it.”
She also wanted to let parents know that they can let their kids be bored once in a while and not see it as some sort of parenting failure. “Children should be allowed to be bored.
It’s part of the human experience, and it’s okay if they’re bored. You don’t have to constantly entertain them or feel like you have to offer them new activities. They should be given the opportunity to develop their own activities and ideas. »
The same goes for leaving children to live on their own and deal with social conflicts.
“They may agree or argue with their playmates; this is completely normal and actually very good for them.
Let them solve the problems if they can, you don’t have to interfere or prevent it,” he continued. “Negative emotions are not bad, and it’s a good thing for kids to experience what they’re feeling and learn to deal with them,” she said.
Amir lists other expectations or worries that parents should try to put aside, such as presenting your child with crazy, cartoony things, buying them lots of toys, or organizing your entire life and schedule around your child.
Ultimately, Dorsa’s goal is to deconstruct narrowly defined expectations of what parents “should” do and how a child should “grow.”
It reminds us that humans are very special in their ability to adapt to many different environments, meaning that there are many different ways of being human, all of which are valid.
“Does your child eat the same food as you for dinner?”
Of course it makes sense. Does your child have a special food? Great, that’s good too. Does he have 600 toys? It’s awesome. Does he mostly play with kitchen utensils? Excellent! he concluded.
Dorsa Amir’s “anti-parenting advice” thus offers parents something else perspective creates certainty about the development of their children.
It’s a good reminder that they can relax, let their kids thrive in their own way, and focus on the basics. Parents should not feel pressured to live up to society’s expectations and can trust their instincts to make the best decisions for their family.
