What is the relationship between parenting and children’s health?

Parenting is the core influence on children's health, covering all dimensions of physical development, mental health, and social adaptability. It is by no means a trivial matter of "assisting in raising children", but directly determines the healthy foundation of children's growth.

I have worked in community child care for 7 years and have seen too many related cases. Not long ago, a two-year-old boy came for a physical examination. He weighed 4 pounds more than the standard for the same age and could not hold a spoon to eat on his own. When I asked, I found out that the grandma was always afraid of the baby being hungry.

Don’t think that only the details of upbringing, such as eating, drinking, and eating, have an impact on health. Parents’ emotional responses actually quietly affect their children’s immunity. Previous academic tracking has shown that children aged 0-3 who are in a state of continuous emotional neglect have long-term high levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their bodies, significantly lower immunoglobulin values, and a 27% higher risk of respiratory infections and allergic diseases than ordinary children. Last year, I met a 3-year-old girl who kept catching colds repeatedly. My parents are busy, so they usually leave the baby to the elderly, who only cares about clothing, warmth and food. Whenever the baby cries, he will say "Don't cry." Later, I suggested that the parents spend half an hour every day playing with the baby, and respond seriously to the baby no matter whether it is emotional or trivial. In just over three months, the baby has significantly fewer colds, and he has become a lot more cheerful.

When it comes to parenting concepts, there are now a lot of opinions on the Internet. For example, the cry immunity method has become popular in the past few years. Indeed, some parents have reported that after using it, their children go to sleep very early, which saves adults worry and makes the children more independent. However, there are also many studies in the field of child psychology that suggest that children under one year old The child has not yet established a stable sense of security. If he cries for a long time without being held, it will lower the child's anxiety threshold and make him more likely to have emotional problems at school age. Currently, there is empirical support for both sides. There is no absolute right or wrong. In the end, you still have to adjust based on your child's temperament. There is no need to rigidly apply standard answers.

Many parents think that "health means not getting sick." In fact, the World Health Organization's definition of health has long included social adaptability, and this part relies entirely on the guidance of parenting. A while ago, a first-grade parent brought his child for a health assessment. He said that the child always fights with classmates and doesn't like to go to school. After asking, he found out that his parents were afraid of the child getting hurt since he was a child, and rarely let the child go downstairs to play with his peers. He usually does everything at home. The child has never learned how to get along with others, and will take action when there is a conflict. Even the eyesight has increased by more than 100 degrees because he is always reading picture books at home. You see, the sense of boundaries in parenting is not well grasped, and even social and visual health are affected.

In fact, raising a baby is like taking care of a small potted plant that has just sprouted. The frequency of watering, the length of time you spend in the sun, and whether you provide enough support in time will directly affect whether the seedling can grow strong. Parenting is never a high-level theory. It means incorporating health considerations into the details of every feeding, every response to emotions, and every time you take your baby out to play. When I educate parents, I always say, don’t always think about waiting for your child to get sick before seeing a doctor. Doing the details of parenting correctly can save you a lot of trouble later. You don’t have to worry about all kinds of parenting concepts. You can be more reliable by observing your child’s reactions more than anything else.