Introduction
My observations on the science and art of raising children. Child raising is the most important and impactful thing you will ever undertake in life. If done well the results will be strong, confident young adults who will do well in life. If done poorly the results will be unsure young adults who will struggle to find their balance in life. It’s truly an awesome responsibility. There is great opportunity to fix the mistakes of previous generations but that opportunity handled indifferently could also lead to major mistakes of your own that will echo down the generations.
Fundamentals
Child rearing is based on four fundamentals.
- Every child is unique. They have their own personality. Your child is not a miniature you.
- Every child has some combination of genetic strengths and weaknesses that is unique to that child.
- The child’s environment either emphasizes or deemphasizes their genetic strengths and weaknesses.
- The child’s personality is not fixed at birth. It is developed over time by the interaction of genetics and environment.
Our job as parents is discover the child’s strengths and weaknesses then teach them how to maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. The discovery and teaching process and techniques will vary from child to child because each child unique. We also need to adjust their environment to assist in the maximization and minimization process.