3 ms·

Is it really either/or? Can't parenting utilize both styles?

• rayiner 8y ago
  There is a spectrum, of course. But at the end of the day, you have concrete choices to make. When picking classes for my five year old daughter's summer school, I can check the box for "Disney Princess" dancing or "Little Engineers."
  • pvg 8y ago
    Out of curiosity, which one do you think your daughter would pick?
    • rayiner 8y ago
      If I had asked her (this was last year), she would've chosen Princess dance. But I didn't (because she's five and what does she know) and signed her up for Little Engineers (and Little Chemist and the math classes, etc.) and she loved it. This year, I signed her up for Princess Dance the first week, then Little Engineers one of the other weeks. She enjoyed Princess dance, but asked if I had signed her up for Little Engineers because she was looking forward to that.
  • jancsika 8y ago
    You'd be better off taking such "arbeit vs. spiel" branches and flipping a coin to choose between them. That way when your daughter is grown she is more likely to have a balanced set of experiences. Also, at worst you'd become known as "that quirky parent who flips coins to choose between things." Whereas if you keep insisting on activities that sound like they'll increase her later earning potential, you will at worst create a nice size resentment in your daughter as she figures out what you're doing.