"Parents should lighten up. I call it 'serenity parenting.' Focus on enjoying the journey with your child instead of trying to control his destination. Accept that your child's future depends mostly on him. Realize that the point of discipline is to make your kid treat people around him decently - not to mold him into a better adult." - Bryan Caplan, author
A study years ago placed a child in a room, set a cookie on the table in front of him, and said that another cookie would be brought to him in a few minutes, as long as he left the cookie on the table alone. A surprisingly high number of kids gobbled up the cookie anyway! A suggestion that at least some people are just born to live in the moment, feasting on today's enjoyment rather than tomorrow's benefits. It wouldn't surprise me if each group of kids grew up about equally happy.
Whether interacting with kids or adults, sometimes it's more profitable to ride the river rather than try to change its direction.
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