The founder of ‘Kids Are Smart’ shared their thoughts about how to balance strict and fun parenting styles. “I love my video games and loved them as a kid. With that said, a young child won't know what that or TV is if you don't introduce it to them early,” they told Bored Panda.
“I don't think parents need to put so much thought into creating an environment for their children to learn but rather just remove distractions (like screens). Young children will explore whatever pulls their attention. Instead of using your phone or watching TV around your child, try puzzles, build with blocks or read books around your child, even if they aren't aimed at kids. This makes that child want to copy the parent and focus their attention on those activities, rather than Baby Shark 100 times a day,” the mod pointed out that parents have the ability to encourage their children to develop their imaginations.
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“It's easier than ever to be distracted by useless information. Parents need to remove distractions from babies at an early age so they can explore things that help them develop their knowledge. Don't let YouTube Kids or mobile games raise your child,” they added.
Meanwhile, comedy writer and future pop star Ariane pondered how much kids take after their parents when it comes to creativity, sense of humor, and wit.
“Both I and my daughter’s dad work in the media, and from an early age, she’s wanted to be a pop star, writer, and actor. I don’t know how much of her creativity was influenced by seeing her dad’s writing in the newspaper and seeing me go out late to perform at musical comedy gigs. She definitely has creative talents, but how much of that is nature or nurture I don’t know. As for sense of humor, she’s far more sassy and sarcastic than me, so I think her sharp wit is all her own!” she said.
Ariane revealed to Bored Panda that she herself had “very strict parents,” and as a result, she has become extremely liberal.
“I think being liberal encourages creativity as it gives kids the confidence to express themselves fully, and my daughter is usually very sweet-natured and well-behaved. She’s also a lot of fun, while I didn’t dare to be fun in such a strict environment when I was a kid, so I’m really pleased that I’m giving her a happier and freer upbringing.”
The ‘Kids Are Smart’ subreddit’s moderators stress the fact that “cute doesn’t equal smart!” In other words, redditors should avoid posts where children are just being children, without any moments of actual brilliance.
“Kids are cute, but that's not what this subreddit is for. Don't make posts showing kids doing regular stuff or having a hobby if it doesn't show a real sign of intelligence. A kid with a vlog channel, drawing with crayons, arguing a silly point, or whatever else it might be is not necessarily a sign of exceptional intelligence. The post will be removed if a kid being smart is not the focus,” the mods warn.
However, the online community is not just about celebrating book smarts. Posts about “immense creative talent’ are also allowed. “Although this is a sub to see kids being smart, certain creative talents require intelligence, even if the focus of the performance, artwork, etc doesn't show intelligence in the traditional 2+2=4 sense,” the subreddit’s moderators explain.
“A kid understanding proper perspective and color use in a painting requires intelligence. A kid having mastered the art of acting requires a certain social intelligence.”
One of the rules that genuinely made me laugh with how it was phrased is the “Do NOT spam your child” regulation. The mods state: “1 post per child per month, maximum. This isn't Facebook. Your kid might be Einstein, but that doesn't mean you get to fill this sub with posts of your child. Post once, that's it. If your post gets removed, it was likely deemed not suitable for the sub. In this case, you may post again immediately if you have another example of 200 IQ.”
A while back, child independence expert Lenore Skenazy, the founder of Let Grow non-profit organization and the Free-Range Kids movement, told me that it’s “impossible” to figure out the right balance between being too strict and too lenient.
“One thing many parents are choosing today is to keep their kids under constant surveillance, with the help of tech. Whether it’s being able to track their kids’ movements, read their browsing history, or even scan their texts, parents have all sorts of new tools to make them seemingly omniscient,” Lenore told Bored Panda that parents should ease up on surveillance and respect their kids’ privacy.
