Put another national parenting holiday on the calendar! Circle Mother’s Day and draw a line straight to Father’s Day. This is when I want everybody to drop everything (only half joking!) and focus on sound articles and recommendations. Save them. Cut them out and send them to me. Not joking.
True, we parents should have sound news and advice EVERY day of the year.
Not all parenting advice is so hot
BUT the reality is that parents encounter less than great information all the time. Sometimes it seems every day, all day, I know. So to help parents get better advice (are you listening, my dear media and expert friends?), Momma Data is launching a month to recognize and raise awareness. Well, five weeks really. Through June 17th, I’ll be celebrating the first annual National Parenting Awareness Month.
It’s about time, right? Schmoozy cards and chocolate-chip salted caramel pancakes are okay, but really, let’s show mom (and dad) some real respect by giving them the nuanced, accurate, ahem, and evidenced-based news and advice they deserve.
Honestly. If only pancakes, breakfast in bed and a day off cooking (and cleaning up) could cure this overlooked societal ill.
Perennial pervasive societal ill not prevented by pancakes or sweet platitudes.
In honor of the first annual event, I’ve created an infographic, a checklist of sorts to help parents recognize good information. Remember it. Copy it, share it, give it to your favorite anti-vaxer, paste it to your next baby gift! Carry it to your next PTA meeting or pediatrician’s visit. Cite it. Blame it on me.
Whip it out at your next playgroup when your fellow mom announces her herbalist-yoga instructor told her that babies must sleep through the night or they will face longterm neurocognitive deficits and damage. Don’t laugh, I’ve been to that playgroup and promptly dropped out. But not before gently addressing that mess of misinformation.
Like so much advice, it was given out of a desire to inform. Still, that does not make it correct.
I wanted to add a warning about well-meaning friends and family to the infographic. As you will see, I could barely cram the vital info onto it. So if you do print it out for the baby gift, get out the Sharpie. Scrawl across the top “BE CAREFUL AROUND WELL-MEANING FRIENDS AND FAMILY.” That will be quite the hit at the baby shower. Lemme know how it goes.
Without further distraction…
How to spot credible advice
By the way, you can share it on Pinterest from here too. Now there’s the little Pin It button on the top left hover. Are you on Pinterest? I have a smaller version going up on Instagram. If you haven’t found it yet, MommaDataOrg is now on Instagram too.
PARENTING AWARENESS FESTIVITIES: MOMMA DATA FORUM
Also, I’m hosting live parenting forums to talk about parenting advice, the good, the bad and the totally unsupported by empirical evidence! My goal is to find out what you want! Do you want more info on how to judge parenting studies? More on the better parenting news sources? What topics would you like to see here on Momma Data?
Best parenting advice? got any evidence-based advice?
Oh, in the mean time, for those not coming to the forum – what’s the best advice you’ve gotten? Was it based on any science or just anecdotal? Do tell. I’m thinking of advice I’ve gotten…so much….hmmmm.