I mean, I guess there are some general things you can say about kids, but in my experience (with my own kid, her cousins, as well as the young people I teach history to every semester, who are pretty much still kids, etc), they really do take a great deal of individual care. All kids are different and all families have different ways of dealing with the problems they have. I’d have a hard time saying that the way I raise my kid is more correct for your family or another family. Yes, I do think consistency is important, but that can mean very different things. Some kids thrive in chaos, though. Some need a firmer hand, others don’t response to risk and reward. I’m thinking of a kid I know right now that risk and reward is sort of tricky to work out.
I didn’t think you meant that! All of us with kids know it’s a slog often times (but most of us find it a rewarding one).
I’m glad to hear that! I’m a working parent with a ridiculously awesome kid (though I was a grad student for most of her life).
My general point is that each family is very different, and the things that work for some, don’t work for others.
