17 Parenting Myths That People Have Been Blindly Following For Years!

Ask any parent about what parenting is like, and they all will tell you one thing – it is not an easy task at all. And it is not just limited to managing your kids’ tantrums, helping them with their calculus homework, or buying them the “must-have” toy before the holidays that freaks out parents so much. A lot of parents these days are also worried about the rising number of misinformation. From nonsensical things like how often they should snuggle their babies to how one’s own marriage can affect their kids in the future, there is a lot of misinformation out there!

We took the help of some of the psychiatrists, pediatricians, and other experts in order to bust some of these popular myths about parenting. We hope this goes on to make “the toughest job in the world” slightly easier for you!

You should always keep your kids’ needs on topmost priority

We all need to prioritize things in life in order to strike a perfect balance, and parenting is no exception. There has to be a fine balance between parenting and finding time for your relationship – and it doesn’t mean your kids’ needs have to always be on topmost priority. According to most relationship experts, couples who put their marriage on a back burner while devoting all their time to parenting, often find themselves struggling with their relationship down the line. It is extremely important for your kid to see that they are being nurtured and cared for, but at the time, they also need to see and be aware that every relationship needs to be nurtured the same way.

Children whose parents are divorced always have relationship issues in life

If you know your relationship is in its dying stages, you really don’t have to drag it just for your kids – a lot of children whose parents are divorced turn out great. In fact, many relationship experts accept the fact that children who go through their parents’ divorce where both parents talk to each other, collaborate, and take care of the child together – those kids go on to have healthy relationships when they grow up. That said, divorce is a really difficult process to handle, and it takes a lot of effort to turn divorce into a problem-solving scenario where everyone remains civil.

Breastfed babies have a higher IQ than formula-fed ones

There have actually been numerous researches on this – most of them turning out to be flawed, later. So, if you are breastfeeding your baby in the hope that it will give them an IQ level of a genius, think again. According to numerous health experts, making sure that the baby is well-fed and isn’t left hungry is far more crucial than what the bottle contains.

Spanking your kid will make them disciplined in life

Spare the rod, spoil the child? Well, not really! Not at least to the experts, who, in fact, argue that it has a completely opposite impact on your kid most of the time! There have been numerous studies that prove that when you spank your kid, you are actually teaching him or her to believe in violence. So, in essence, you’re basically teaching your kid to be violent and hit everyone around them who doesn’t listen to them! According to a study published in the year 2017 in the Journal of Pediatrics, there is a direct link that proves kids who are spanked in their childhood turn out to be the ones who have the most likelihood of perpetrating domestic violence when they grow up.

So, think twice before you spank your kid.

Your kid’s fears are just a phase in life

Kids’ fears are as real as an adults’ fear, and when you ignore or dismiss them, those fears grow even more. According to experts, even reassuring and supporting parents can have a child who is anxious, but that fear is quite real for that kid. At times, the fear does turn out to be just a phase in your kid’s life, but even then, you should strive to work through it, not be dismissive about it. By dismissing their fears, you’re dismissing their experience and their emotions, which can have dire consequences for the child.