How Much Training Does It Take To Raise A Child?

A Back-Seat Mother writes to Dear Prudence regarding her husband, an elementary education professor, and his mother, a child psychologist. Instead of consulting with his wife, the husband/father, himself an expert in children, consults with a professional, his child psychologist mother:

I feel like I haven't been given the opportunity to test out my maternal instincts or skills since our first child was born…they [husband/father and his mother] are more like colleagues consulting with each other….I know they may be experts when it comes to childhood issues, but shouldn't I be given the opportunity…even if I do mess up?

Dear Prudence responds as if professionals raising children is a problem. In this day of highly specialized fields professionals will of course do the raising of children. Instead of viewing this as a problem, the mother should be thankful that her daughter is so lucky as to have a professional for a father. Many children have to go to professional, but this child only need see her father. It is only logical that such an expert would consult another expert and not a layman like the mother. This mother needs to stop thinking of herself. Her husband and his mother received years of training before they could ruin a child’s life, and yet this mother wants to do it with no training at all.

If this mother turned to Catism she could become a follower of the Founder and Glorious Leader of Catism The Cat Gergiev, follow the example of others, without violating a cat's rights, and live a full life serving cats.