As a parent, have you ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of experts? I mean, how could you not? Storefronts and the internet are teeming with people that purport to be experts on every topic, especially parenting. Everywhere you turn there’s someone telling you what you have to do to raise a successful kid, a healthy kid, a mindful kid. They warn you that if you do it wrong, your child will be in juvie by the time she’s 12.
It’s so easy to become a parenting expert these days. All you need is a computer, an internet connection, and kids of your own. You can write about your experiences, share your personal stories, and declare what works best. Often you do that with deep conviction and a burning passion that suggests that your way is the only way. While entertaining to readers, these insights can provide support for one of the hardest jobs that exists. Or, they can feel like more pressure piled onto one of the hardest jobs that exists.
A major difference now from the past is that there are more voices. The likes of Dr. Spock no longer hold the sole rights to advice and there’s more diversity of opinion about best practices. This can be overwhelming on one hand, but it’s helpful to be exposed to many approaches that work for many different people so that you can draw your own conclusions.
Several years ago I read Mason Currey’s book, Daily Rituals, which has 150 vignettes describing the daily routines of eminent creators. After enjoying the stories, my main takeaway was that each creator had to figure out what worked for his or her nuanced circumstances. There is no one “right way” to be a famous contributor of original ideas. There are some things that many creators do, like take a daily walk, but there’s no formula.
This holds true for parents as well. It all comes down to the individual family, their specific situation, and the individual child.
Another brand of so-called experts are like me: people who likely have advanced degrees in their fields and have worked with thousands of kids of all different ages and types. We see patterns and have strategies that help us understand certain thinking profiles. But we, too, can fall into the trap of relying on expertise and research that doesn’t consider the unique needs of the individual.
Now, you might think, “Here she goes. An expert telling us to beware of experts, and then launching into advice.” You have a point, but please read on because my end goal is to make you the expert.
Each parent and each child has his or her own interests, abilities, motivations, and requirements. When we use tools and strategies that genuinely take these into account, we can support the individual as we move toward more effective and harmonious collaboration. The science of creativity allows us to do just that.
To respond to the new layer of stress that parents who aren’t used to working from home and homeschooling have suddenly had to endure, we tailored our tried and true parent coaching workshops into an online course to make it accessible to as many parents as possible.
Work From Home With Kids and THRIVE is based on the science of creativity and guides you to step by step to find the right schedule, work-life balance, and learning opportunities for your family–based solely on your own individual needs rather than advice from experts. It’s the only course that makes YOU the expert.
Click here to check out the course and who’s using it. You’ll have the opportunity to sign up to receive a free lesson on screen time and a coupon code to enroll!
Remember: YOU are the expert on your own child. Go forth with confidence!