I think, one of the most annoying things, then I never realised before having a child, was that everyone is a complete, fountain of overwhelmingly assertive/aggressive knowledge when it comes to parenting.
Whether you should leave a baby to ‘cry it out’ or not, whether breastfeeding is best (surely it is?), how long to breastfeed for, what kind of routine you should be in, to get jabs or not, etc etc.
I think this is a classic example of Type 1 thinking. Which I like to call “Lazy thinking”.
Basically it costs less energy to retrieve information that’s already established in your ‘memory-banks’. Comprehending, and obtaining new, especially contradictory information, takes a lot more effort and energy, and therefore people are often very reluctant to do it – even though learning new things is a proven way to keep the brain healthy.
So if you every catch yourself saying “oh, don’t be so stupid” in the face of a logical argument, you’re probably carrying out Type 1 thinking.
Wish is the kind of response you get when you try to explain the research behind attachment parenting, and the studies that prove you cannot apply Behavioural Psychology to babies.
In regards to the parenting opinions, I’m not sure whether to respond with an abrupt – “oh just fcuk off will you”, or to pretend to cry…
