[pjc50]

> good parenting is largely a matter of being lucky enough to have oneself received good parenting, i.e. it's mainly a matter of tradition

a) Tradition is extremely variable across both time and space, even within the West

b) we have largely moved away from some of the nastier edges of "traditional" parenting, with good reason

c) there has to be a huge number of people who feel they don't want to replicate the upbringing they had and instead want help, who deserve decent resources

d) given that parenting resources exist, it's better to have and use scientifically tested ones than ones that replicate the prejudices of the loudest voices

[truculation]

>we have largely moved away from some of the nastier edges of "traditional" parenting, with good reason

Corporal punishment, you mean. Yes. However we've regressed in at least one way: many toddlers are now in daycare for 30+ hours per week.

>given that parenting resources exist, it's better to have and use scientifically tested ones than ones that replicate the prejudices of the loudest voices

Well, my original comment was more about how we use resources. But it seems doubtful whether we can scientifically test for how good such resources are, except in terms of narrow criteria like safety. We can't yet look into children's imaginations and measure how fired up they are; we can only try to find out what our children enjoy and help them to do more of it.

Consider the Harry Potter books. They may have done more for literacy than everything else combined since they arrived. Yet the first manuscript was rejected by many publishers, including some who no doubt had access to purportedly scientific advice.

Far better to look at what other families are doing, reading and playing with. And to read reviews online.