Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Internet parenting

I worked with a Mom once who thought the internet would tell her how to raise her child. Anything I told her she would then go research on the internet and then come back and tell me what the internet said. Most of the time it would tell her exactly what I had told her. However, she was would always look it up to see if I was 'right' and if it would tell her the same thing I had told her. Whenever she had a question she would go look it up on the internet then come tell me what it said.

This Mom would come at the same time to breastfeed her child. Even though I worked with toddlers and most weren't breastfeeding anymore occasionally one would continue to breastfeed past the age of one. One day she changed the time she came and the child was fussy so I gave him a snack. When I told the Mom she freaked out and acted like I had done something to the harm the child. The next day she came to me telling me how she did some research on the internet and was shocked at how much the child should be eating. I just politely listened to her then added some knowledge I had then continued on with the drop off process.

 My dear parents, the internet won't tell you how to raise your children. It doesn't know the child. The internet doesn't know your child's personality or their temperament. Where you can find some good things on the internet it will never be able to tell you how to be a parent, how to be a good one or anything else. If your going to consult the internet for advice on how to raise your child please look at the kind of source it is. What background does the person writing the article have. If it's just common information please look at where it's from because the internet will never be able to tell you how to be a parent. It will never be able to tell you how to raise your children.