Once upon a time people thought that bleeding reduced a fever.
Cocaine was a main ingredient in Coca-Cola.
People sewed their own clothes.
Women were encouraged to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol during their pregnancy.
There are a plethora of things throughout history that people used to do or that were considered helpful until new information came along that changed how those ideas were perceived. The overwhelming motivator for that change being the fact that there were new ideas that made things easier, faster, or better. In some cases, change was motivated by the fact that previous practices were actually harming people rather than helping them.
The idea that new information motivates change is one that can be found not only on larger, societal scales, but in people’s individual lives. Technology is probably the most obvious example of how that change happens—people don’t hand wash many clothes or dishes now, despite the fact that it was the prevalent method just a few decades ago. Fewer and fewer people are learning how to drive a car with a manual transmission because most cars are built with automatic ones. But what about other ideas, traditions, or methods? What about the beliefs regarding children?
Unfortunately, some potentially harmful ideas come down through traditions that are not as easy to refute and take years to “unlearn.” People often fall back on their own previous experiences, examples, and education to manage a situation even if that information is incomplete or unfounded. For example, the colloquialism that children should be “seen and not heard” is one that persists today and influences the practices of caregivers even though research has shown how it can have negative effects on a child’s mental health.
The primary obstacle being that not everyone is aware of that research–not everyone has access to or has been exposed to the knowledge that researchers have gained about how children grow and change and learn throughout their lives. Numerous resources exist today to help parents, teachers, and other caregivers navigate their way through raising and teaching children; however, until they are exposed to that knowledge and those resources are utilized, they will continue to rely on previously held beliefs that may be less effective.
So, what’s the solution?
The truth is that the only thing that will make a difference is the conscious and active decision by adults to pursue new information, to be open to new ideas, to be willing to acknowledge and accept them as they are presented, and to make those changes. Because when we know better, we can do better.