Each generation since World War II has seemed to have its “expert” on childrearing. First there were Drs. Spock and Gessell, then Dr. Brazelton, and now there’s the internet. The books talked globally about discipline and toilet training and feeding practices and sleep.
This generation of parents has grown up with “experts” everywhere. Go online and you can find out anything. Type in your symptoms and you can self-diagnose almost anything. Fears about germs and poor choices and peer pressure abound. Each new layer of “experts” seems to reinforce the need to override our common sense. Rather than calming parents, it would seem that all this information might lead them to question their own abilities.
First-time parents have been a nervous group since time immemorial. But are we slowly reinforcing their anxiety with all the immediately available information on the internet that may or may not be correct or appropriate? What do you think?