Children who grow up getting nutrition from plant foods rather than meats have a tremendous health advantage. They are less likely to develop weight problems, diabetes, high blood pressure and some forms of cancer
Every child senses, with all the horse sense that's in him, that any parent is angry inside when children misbehave and they dread more the anger that is rarely or never expressed openly, wondering how awful it might be.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Children can intuitively feel their parents' unexpressed anger over misbehavior, which can create anxiety about what may happen next.
This quote highlights the deep emotional intelligence that children possess, allowing them to pick up on the subtle cues of their parents' feelings—specifically, the fear of unspoken anger. It emphasizes the importance of open communication and the potential psychological impact of parental anger that is not expressed directly, suggesting that children may live in dread of unknown consequences when misbehavior occurs.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a parenting workshop focused on emotional communication, this quote can illustrate the importance of expressing feelings.
More from Benjamin Spock
All quotes →Don't be afraid to trust your own common sense.
Don't take too seriously all that the neighbors say. Don't be overawed by what the experts say. Don't be afraid to trust your own common sense.
On the average, older parents are more flexible, tolerant, understanding, and happy in child care.
Our greatest hope is to bring up children inspired by their opportunities for being helpful and loving.
What good mothers and fathers instinctively feel like doing for their babies is usually best after all.
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Oh, what a tangled web do parents weave, when they think that their children are naive.
The real questions for parents should be: "Are you engaged? Are you paying attention?" If so, plan to make lots of mistakes and bad decisions. Imperfect parenting moments turn into gifts as our children watch us try to figure out what went wrong and how we can do better next time. The mandate is not to be perfect and raise happy children. Perfection doesn't exist, and I've found what makes children happy doesn't always prepare them to be courageous, engaged adults.
Two worst things as can happen to a child is never to have his own way - or always to have it.
Like many people of my generation, I feel like I survived my adolescent mischief only by a miracle, and it seems too much to hope for that the same miracle would befall my children - therefore, I want to make sure they take fewer chances than I did.