As I've been making the rounds talking to parents about my new book Beyond Smart, I've noticed a phenomenon that seems exclusive to today's parents: Many of us don't trust our own instincts. We're so accustomed to taking direction - from teachers, counselors, experts, you name it...that we seldom look to ourselves for the answers.
We want so badly to be good parents - and often second-guess our judgments and opinions. We strive for perfection and don't tolerate our own mistakes. Failure, for most of us, is not an option.
But parenting is a process. Everyone trips and stumbles once in awhile and no one - not your neighbor next door, not the psychologist on TV, certainly not your own parents - parents flawlessly. Remember that we know our children better than anyone else does. We all posses innate and valuable instincts about our kids; who they are, what they need, how to help them cope with school, with friends, with life. Turns out some of these instincts are actually quite good.
Trust them. It's worth a shot.
