Raising children is hard work, but fortunately for us, traditional societies have always been very good at it! Through all of history parents knew to give kids a lot of attention in their early years, and then let them make their own way among their extended family and friends. But today’s world is so competitive that parents feel pressured to micromanage their children at home, school, and beyond.
But the young ones really do make their own way in the world. Parenting is hugely important, of course, but most of what determines a child’s future success lies in their genes and in their lives outside the home. Think how tiny babies already have their own unique personalities, as every parent knows. And how children learn more language from their friends than they ever do from their parents.
