Self-Esteem vs Respect for Others
His parenting positions are based on common sense and tradition, and he isn’t afraid to be provocative. Actually, I could correct that to say that he can be very direct and many in the U.S. find that provocative when it comes to parenting concerns and beliefs. I personally like being challenged to consider different intellectual topics so I have spent some time considering his parenting column from last week.
The link is here, and is worth reading if you are a parent or guardian: Living With Children. I initially bristled at his challenging of the idea that high self-esteem in children is good. As I read the rest of the article, I came around to agreeing with his point. Teaching a child to respect others is more important than teaching them to have high self-esteem. That doesn’t mean children should have no or low self-esteem, it’s just that minimizing respect for others in favor of self-esteem is a poor parenting choice and could be socially dangerous. Remember that children are forming beliefs that will stay with them for a long time, possibly for the rest of their life. Respecting other people should be emphasized. This makes sense to me as a therapist and as a parent, and I endorse Mr. Rosemond’s perspective on it.
Have a great week everyone!
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