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A scholarly work by Anne R. Pierce, Ph.D explores how and why today's accepted yet unproven child rearing techniques are producing troubled kids.
While Americans respect traditions in the abstract, they eagerly cast them aside in the spirit of embracing progressive ideas. In her new book,Ships without a Shore: America’s Undernurtured Children, Dr. Anne R. Pierce points out irrefutably that American children are being damaged by the very practices that are supposed to help them, and that proven child rearing techniques have been cast aside in favor of methods based on untested theories and false beliefs. Studies Show Rise in Teenage Suicide RatesAccording to Pierce, (Ph.D. University of Chicago), parenting has changed drastically since our parents’ day, and American parents, by embracing methods that are more geared to adult convenience than child welfare, are producing troubled children in alarming numbers. Pierce cites a multitude of studies by anthropologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, biologists, neurologists, and geneticists to support her theories, including ones that tell us that suicide rates for teens as well as younger children are up, that fully 20% of American children are cutters, and that the number of American children being treated for emotional and psychological problems climbs annually. The Media Celebrates the Working MomContrary to now conventional wisdom, Dr. Pierce points out that you can be both career oriented and involved mother, but probably not at the same time. This is in opposition to the message sent by the media, and especially television, that a high powered career is the only choice for an intelligent and fulfilled woman. The Cosby show’s Claire Huxtable was both a successful attorney and loving and involved mother, and she did it without the safety net of domestic help. She cheerfully served hot, nutritious meals in her spotless house while beautifully groomed and attractively dressed, thus reinforcing the idea of career mom as superwoman. Daycare as ParentDespite thousands of pages of studies that state otherwise, working parents have convinced themselves that children are raised just as well in daycare as by their own parents. Pierce’s intent is not to speak slightingly of daycare workers or even daycare itself, especially when parents must work for sustenance, but she believes we do our children a grave disservice when we think of daycare as a choice for childrearing that is as good or as valid as any other choice; that a paid caregiver is a good substitute for a loving and nurturing parent. Ships Without a Shore It’s difficult to argue Pierce’s belief that the rules for childrearing have been rewritten based upon the needs of adults, and that children are suffering for it. Studies by the experts bear that out, although her position on the civilization destroying nature of organized kindergarten soccer seems extreme. The biggest problem with this book is that the people who need it most will never read it-they’re too tired from a hard day at the office earning the money to buy their kids the latest ipod. Ships Without a Shore America's Undernurutured Children by Anne R. Pierce, Ph.D. c 2008 Transaction Publisher, New Brunswick, NJ ISBN 978-1-4128-0716-6
The copyright of the article America's Undernurtured Children in Parenting Methods is owned by Susan Cramer. Permission to republish America's Undernurtured Children in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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