What is the relationship between parenting and children's health

The full-scale details of parenting are essentially laying the foundation for children's physical and mental health. From daily diet and rest, to personality development and disease response methods, they will directly affect the child's current health status, and even extend to the risk of chronic diseases in adulthood. It is by no means "as long as they are well fed and clothed, there will be no problem."

I have been working in the community child care department for almost 8 years, and I have seen too many children of the same age whose health status varies greatly due to differences in parenting methods. Let’s take the two 3-year-old boys I met last month and came for their physical examination on the same day: one has been fed responsively since he was a child. He only feeds when he is hungry and never chases after him. After dinner, he usually takes him to run wildly in the community for half an hour. He also reads picture books according to the child’s interests. He will not force him to sit upright and listen for half an hour. During the physical examination, his height and weight were both in the top 20% of his age. When he met the nurse, he took the initiative to hand him a small sticker, and his social evaluation was all excellent. The other was raised by his grandparents, who almost refused to let him run downstairs for fear of falling. He spent the whole afternoon watching cartoons at home, and was chased and fed braised pork. Not only was he overweight by 22%, but he also had mild flat feet. He hid behind his grandma and did not dare to speak out when asked. His fine motor evaluation was less than half a year slower than that of children of the same age.

A topic that everyone is quarreling about now is "whether strict parenting is good or not?" There are indeed two completely different research conclusions: One group of tracking data shows that establishing a clear sense of rules for children from an early age, such as fixed routines and clear behavioral boundaries, can reduce the probability of addictive behaviors and emotional disorders in adolescence, and even make immunity levels more stable in the long term; but another group of studies also found that if "Strict control" with frequent scolding and belittling will keep children's cortisol levels at high levels for a long time. Not only are children prone to sleep problems such as night waking and nightmares, but the frequency of daily respiratory infections is about 20% higher than that of children with loose parenting. In essence, long-term stress stress has dragged down the immune status. In fact, there is no absolute standard in the academic world as to where the boundary is. In fact, there is no absolute standard in the academic world, and it also tests parents' observation of their children's status.

Many people always think that parenting is only about personality and performance, and has nothing to do with physical health. In fact, this is not the case at all. Take the most common tooth decay as an example. I have encountered many 6- and 7-year-old children with rotten teeth. When I asked them, they basically said that the parents did not take brushing seriously. They either thought that "the baby teeth have to be replaced anyway and don't need to be brushed." There are also children with allergies. If parents are willing to take the time to keep a food diary and slowly help their children build tolerance, many children with mild allergies can be desensitized by school age. If parents try to save trouble and completely avoid food, the allergic reaction may continue into adulthood.

It's actually a bit like growing potted plants. It doesn't matter how expensive nutrient soil you use or how much fertilizer you buy. The frequency of daily watering, the length of time in the sun, and whether you adjust the position according to the growth of the plant. These detailed maintenance actions determine whether the plant can grow healthy and not get sick. The relationship between parenting and children's health is almost the same.