At
first glance, Scarr's notion of "good enough" parenting may seem
dissatisfactory to parents. The effort that they put in should have an impact
on their child success, right? The same parents worrying that good enough is
not enough are also those that Scarr is trying to reassure the most. The idea
that Scarr is trying to portray is that all normal parents are biologically and
evolutionarily programmed to be "super parents." Just as babies are
evolutionarily programmed to smile and grasp, parents are also programmed to
provide the best possible care to their child. An example of this notion
appears in families striving to enroll their child in the best schools and
athletic programs even at large costs to the parents. I trust the model because
it seems to accurately represent both the idea that children will naturally do
what they're good at while also addressing a parent’s wanting to provide more.
It addresses these natural feelings in a way that is reassuring to both groups.
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DeleteJeramiah,
ReplyDeleteI really like your statement that all parents are programmed to be superparents. Normal parents want to do everything they can to provide for their children and give them the best chance at life. Scarr's theory basically says that if a parent is not perfect, it will not be a disadvantage to their children. This is a reassurance to new parents that feel like they are not good enough, because they only need to be good enough.