Misbelief, Old Wives' Tales, Superstitions ~

Yikes, Friday the 13th?! Does that superstition cause you to pause and be wary or expect something bad? Not me. But there are parenting superstitions and misinformation that people follow . . . and sometimes to the detriment of their own confidence or to their child's angst.

How about this one:
Your baby is smart if he walks early.
Wrong.
Walking is related to temperament. A risk-taking, adventurous, spontaneous tot,
will walk earlier than the one who is cautious, pensive, and slow-to-warm-up to new people and situations.
You can toilet train an infant.
Wrong.
Infants are immature in cognitive, social, language, and motor functions! Teaching a tot to regularly eliminate, and into a particular receptacle, demands that his mind (cognitive abilities) understands two- and three-part instructions, and has memory, he cares that he's smelly or wet, can verbalize, and has the motor (muscular) control to consciously hold and let go of the sphincter muscle. I do have a 1-hr CD, "Finally, No More Diapers!" you can get from me for $10 by sending a check or cash to PO Box 1302, Mount Vernon, OH 43050 (US only).
Hold your five-year-old back a year so he'll be smarter in Kindergarten.
Buzz, do not pass go, do not collect $100.
A Kindergarten teacher responded to that logic by saying, "Not necessarily. But you will have a bigger kid in Kindergarten."
It's wrong to teach your kid about religion; let him choose.
Sorry, you have a religion . . . even if it's no spiritual belief. You teach your child your values, behavior, mannerism, impulse control, belief in God, and much more. My Life Without God, written by William J. Murray, son of the famous athiest Madlyn Murray O'Hair, chronicles the life of a boy whose parent vehemently denied and taught against God. In the end, Murray turned to our forgiving God. His mother's rowdy attempts to block all spiritual awareness didn't work on her son. Give your child the benefit of and belief in a loving Heavenly Father, the ultimate creator. Being accountable to God gives people a moral compass.

So what parental myths, superstitions have you been told? I was once told by a well-meaning cousin, during my pregnancy, that if I raised my hands up over my head the baby would come out with the cord around her neck. I did, she didn't. Go figure.