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August 23, 2004
Raising Self-Reliant Kids
Interview
with Elisa Medhus, M.D.,author of the book Raising
Everyday Hereos
Mike
Carruthers:
Many parents today do so much for their kids that their
kids don't really learn how to live life.
Elisa
Medhus :
I think that it comes from all our best intentions.
We come from being parented by autocratic family models where
the dad was a dictator and it was like you do as you're told
or else.
Dr. Elisa
Medhus author of the book Raising
Everyday Heroes.
We've swung
the other way to become very nurturing, very you -centric, very
involved in our kids lives and those are all good things until
it crosses a certain line where you rescue them from the very
experience of life.
And as this
generation is now going out into the real world the consequences
of this are starting to show.
Kids are
coming back home with their tails tucked between their legs
from college. College professors lament the fact that parent's
call up arguing about assignments this is college. And trying
to get their grades revised, trying to get them into classes
that are already full and such instead of letting the kid handle
these things on his own. And we are under this misconception
that it's our job to ensure their everyday happiness and that
is simply not true.
Elisa says
kids have to learn to fight their own battles and make their
own way through life without mommy or daddy trying to fix everything
for them.
Struggle
is good. Hardship is good for children as long as they're surrounded
by unconditionally loving sources of support that will turn
that hardship into lessons that will serve the kid the rest
of his life.
At somethingyoushouldknow.net,
I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something You Should Know.
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