Parenting is a pseudo-science these days. Raising children is such a mythical practice, comparable to sacrificing animals to the Greek gods. Of course, I am very optimistic about the whole thing, as I have been discovering the answers to many of the questions parents may have, and I have been trying to uncover some of the myths involved in the difficult work that is being a parent.

 

In this update you will learn about a horrible myth that plagues mankind with suffering. This parenting myth not only affects your child, it affects you, it affects your grandchildren, and friends and family of all. The myth I am speaking of is the belief that children should be indulgent in all of life's pleasures and fun because when they are adults, they won't be able to do these things. As I have said before, this myth is tragically wrong, and life threatening in some cases. It is so important that you forget you ever heard this myth for your sake and for the sake of everyone else.

 

Here is how this myth got started: First, you must understand that the brain of a small child is not completely developed. This does not affect most children much because the parts that are developed are all that is really needed for simple living. As is scientificially understood these days, a child's brain could finish developing as late as eight years old, and as early as four or five. I do not mean that a child who is that young is not capable of understanding or thinking, simply that the process is not yet complete, and they may be a lot better at it once it is done. Also, the brain is wonderful because it knows its own limitations in most cases. It has several ways to keep the child alive that may seem obvious to those who know, but may be very frustrating to a parent who has not studied.

 

Children have a very good survival mechanism in the brain. This system causes them to cry for food and be more scared or emotional when something happens, in order to be safe from predators. Small children will crave sweets and hate bitter foods, since some foods in nature can be poisonous. Of course, these survival responses are old, and they are not needed to live in a civilized way. They only serve to confuse inexperienced parents, which often leads to obeisity and social disorders. Being able to control attention span and resisting a craving is simply a skill that must be learned to be a good adult, and small children look to their parents to help them know what is right.

 

Here are some common knowledge examples: a child goes by a candy machine and if the parent refuses to give some to them, the child cries. A dog barks really loud near a young child, and the child becomes afraid and has a panic attack. A young child is hungry or scared or in pain, and all of the other young children in the area become sad and join in the crying. These are only a few of the commonly noticed behaviors. In many instances, the child may need to be comforted by a parent, or fed, or the child will simply have to forget about what happened, which is notoriously easy at a young age.

 

Now to the meaty part of the myth. A child should have fun being a kid. This is a half baked idea, so I will bake it fully and show you how absurd it really is. A child should have fun being a kid, for when they grow up they will not have any more fun. As you can see as an adult, this idea is laughable. Adults have all kinds of fun, surely more fun than a little kid could dream of. But there is a dark and dangerous side to this myth as well, for, having too much fun can lead to big problems in adulthood such as depression, fatigue, alcoholism, drug addiction, cigarette smoking, food addiction, and emotional problems.

 

Why does having too much fun hurt you so much? The answer is a bit complicated. First of all, you must understand that fun causes the release in the body of a few natural drugs. These drugs are naturally produced in the brain when something fun happens, so you can feel the satisfaction and exhiliration of having had a good time. These drugs are also dangerous, like most addictive drugs. They can cause a condition in the brain that makes you get used to the amount of fun that you normally have, then you don't experience such intense happiness. The fact of the matter is, you must have only a moderate amount of these drugs in your body every day, or it will make you addicted. These drugs can be thought of like steroids, which are another type of natural drug in the body. If you take steroids, when you have to stop, you need to slowly lower your dose because your body needs to carefully regulate them.

 

Now, imagine fun as an addictive drug. Now imagine giving a lot of addictive drugs to children. If you are getting your child to have too much fun, you are overdosing them on that drug. Now imagine what happens next, as usually happens in a person's life. The child will grow up and stop doing those fun little kid things. Instead, they will start doing drugs, or alcohol, or smoking, or eating or some such activity that causes a fun response. These habits not only cause a fun response, they also have their own little side effects, such as liver/kidney/lung/heart disease or being overweight. Sometimes they will lead to horrible diseases such as diabetes and cancer and even brain damage.

 

If you do any follow up research, you will find that this is all true. I believe that I have now sufficiently proven my point. You must help spread this message, and correct people when they recite such aweful myths. Lives are at stake. I am already a lost cause because I too am addicted to fun. I play computer games for hours just to feel normal, and I watch television the same way. Sometimes I overeat good food. But I always feel the side effects. They can include headache, nausia, heartburn, upset stomach, bloating, soreness, fatigue, weakened immune system, depression, inability to function properly, dehydration, and increased weakness. You, family members, or friends may all be suffering from fun addiction, or may be at risk.

 

There is hope for some. You must be very careful about lowering the amount of fun you have. You may want to exercise more if you don't exercise much, that will cause a fun response that is not as harmful as most others. Unfortunately, doctors do not recognise the impact of fun addiction as well as the should, but if you are on good terms with a doctor, you may be able to work out a medically sound system. For some people, just as some people can not quit other addictions, there is no hope. You may be one of them, you can only find out by trying and being very determined. For those who are at risk, please try to affect their lives and give them a good work and exercise ethic. Help them not have too much fun as small children so that they will not have to turn to harmful substances to get their dose of fun when they are older, have two jobs, and have three kids to worry about.