Six Children and No Theories

Covering parenting and child development issues

Welcome!

Written by Lisa Lawmaster Hess, Community Blogger | Sep 13, 2012 12:23 PM

My friend Lori’s titles have zing. Though I long to create titles with zing, the mere thought of coming up with that pithy phrase at the top of the page freezes my brain, making it certain my choices will have more thud than zing.

It doesn’t help that - in my mind at least - a title has to entice. A good title not only beckons the reader, but makes an implicit promise that the information that follows will be worth a person’s time, and won’t leave her dialing an 800 number to request the last five minutes of her life back.

And so, when I create titles, I seek assistance. If someone like my friend Lori isn’t around, I borrow from others who express themselves well, preferably with a dose of humor. After all, everyone can use a little help now and then.

In the case of this blog, I went back to a quote by John Wilmot, who said, “Before I got married, I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children and no theories.” I’ve since discovered that he said a lot of other things that aren’t very family friendly, but I had to agree with his sentiments about the discrepancy between theorizing about raising children and actually raising them.

As a former school counselor, I know a lot of theories. As the parent of a teenager who, as a toddler, thought time-out was a game, I know that there’s often a lapse between theory and and reality. And, I know that experience is often a better teacher than a textbook.

So, though I have only one child of my own, I welcome you to “Six Children and No Theories.” Sometimes you’ll find advice, sometimes you’ll find stories, but you’ll never find preaching. And if I slip up and you do, I hope you’ll call me on it, because parenting is a tough job and I think most of us are doing the best we can.

Still, everyone can use a little help now and then, so I hope you'll stop by to read, comment and share some theories of your own. 

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