In news of the obvious, parents who believe, “This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you,” are much more likely to raise mentally healthy and well-adjusted teenagers.
We owe the Carolina Journal for this astounding ‘duh’ response (insert eye roll). According to their research, “Conservative and very conservative parents are more likely to raise mentally healthy teens compared to liberal parents, according to a new study from the Institute for Family Studies and Gallup.”
This deals a substantial blow to family and lifestyle reporters in the mainstream media who have made it their job to tell parents the key to raising their children is to become their best friend but with disposable income and deep pockets.
“Liberal parents are more likely to have a permissive parenting style” and “are the least likely to successfully discipline their children.”
If you sit in front of one of these children on an airplane, you’ll see what I mean — cue the seatback kick.
Unfortunately, these journalists, who are overwhelmingly single, cat collectors, have proven to be blind to facts.
Conservative and ultra-conservative parents — and their corporal punishment — are doing something right.
“The IFS/Gallup report found that ‘the most important factor in the mental health of adolescent children is the quality of the relationship with their caregivers.’ The key driver is parents who have an ‘authoritative’ style that combines ‘affection and attentiveness to children’s needs with structure and requirements for pro-social, responsible behavior.'”
In other words, eat your fruits and vegetables, then you can have your dessert.
Although conservative parenting does not guarantee you will have perfect, rule-following teenagers, there is hope. “Conservative parents enjoy higher quality relationships with their children, characterized by fewer arguments, more warmth, and a stronger bond, according to both parent and child reporting.”
“Data for the analysis were collected from 2,995 parents of adolescents in June and July of 2023. The survey included measures of adolescent mental health, social media use, parental demographics, political views, and attitudes toward marriage, parenting practices, and parent-child relationships.”
One crucial finding was that parents make the most substantial difference, regardless of the circumstances.
The study wasn’t a poll of kids attending Wednesday night Bible studies.
“Household income, parental education, and race and ethnicity are largely unrelated to the quality of parenting and mental health outcomes for teens, the report found.”
Teens’ mental health is essential for more than the parent’s peace of mind.
“A report released in February by the NC Child Fatality Task Force found that the youth suicide rate has nearly tripled in two decades.”
This is only news to those wishy-washy parents who repeatedly ignore the results and the sociologists who ignore those results.
After the report, “There is no meaningful public effort to educate parents on the best-practice parenting styles that have long been associated with teen mental health. The results of our report should be seen as empowering parents to play the lead role in guiding their children to healthy psychological development. Their actions, judgments, and relationships are key to their teen’s mental health.”
What is shocking about the report is the background of its author, Jonathan Rothwell.
Rothwell is a Brookings Institute senior fellow. The institute is notoriously a hotbed of far-left ideology. What!? A report that compliments conservative parents for their parenting?
Maybe they’ve all had uncomfortable plane rides.
