Not a parent myself. (But I had a couple.) Whenever the subject of parenting comes up, I like to throw this cherrybomb into the discussion: Judith Rich Harris

Not a parent myself. (But I had a couple.) Whenever the subject of parenting comes up, I like to throw this cherrybomb into the discussion: Judith Rich Harris "Judith Rich Harris (born February 10, 1938) is a psychology researcher and the author of The Nurture Assumption, a book criticizing the belief that parents are the most important factor in child development, and presenting evidence which contradicts that belief." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Rich_Harris http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Rich_Harris To see how this idea may play out in practice, consider the fierce debate over tiger mothering from a few years back. Here's the HN discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2090678 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2090678 My take on Tiger Mom Amy Chua's methodology (at the top of that thread): "Chua probably believes that its her strictness and strong principles that are leading her children to excel. And these have their role, no doubt. But I would propose, following Harris, it is her oppressive control of their social lives which is the much stronger factor."