According to Bruno Bettelheim, child expert and author of A Good Enough Parent, the best parents are the ones that do not strive for perfection in their parenting or in their children. The good enough parent focuses on their child’s present experience rather than with their future as an adult. They attempt to understand and respect their children for who they are as individuals and not who they want them to be. Good enough parents are confident in their parenting and are okay with imperfection in themselves and their children. They recognize that when a problem does arise, blame doesn’t help the situation. They strive to love their children, yet know mistakes will be made and their kids are innately wise and resilient.

Key Takeaways:

• When parenting is defined as the art of caregiving to one’s child, the best parent is then the one who parents just the right amount.
• The author states that although he doesn’t agree much with Bruno Bettelheim’s book on parenting, he agrees with things related to the good enough parent.
• In Bettelheim’s book, The Good enough Parent, he reasons that in order to raise a child well, one should not expect perfection from himself or his child.

“The perfectionist reasoning is this: If problems arise, then they must be someone’s fault. Parents seeking perfection blame themselves, or their spouse, or their children when things are not just right. Blame never helps.”

Read more: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/201512/the-good-enough-parent-is-the-best-parent