Teaching moms and dads to be better parents can have big impact

"What Maisie Knew"
Julianne Moore and Onata Aprile star in the modern-day adaptation of the Henry James novel about the perils of poor parenting, "What Maisie Knew." The film is being shown as part of the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival.
Image courtesy Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival

When young people do bad things, there is often someone looking to blame the parents. Columbine? Blame the parents. Newtown? Blame the parents. Boston? Blame the parents.

For all the blame placed on parents, there is little done to support them and help them improve their parenting skills, argues David Bornstein in The New York Times.

"Any effort aiming to reduce gun violence — or child abuse, intimate partner violence, suicide or sexual abuse — must include a serious discussion about how society can improve the quality of parenting," writes Bornstein.

Bornstein, a co-founder of the Solutions Journalism Network, and child psychologist Terrie Rose join The Daily Circuit to discuss why positive parenting matters and to report on some pioneering parenting programs that have made a difference.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.

READ MORE ABOUT THE IMPACT OF PARENTING:

Five Steps to Positive Parenting
Tips from Triple P (Positive Parenting Program).

Will parent training reduce abuse, enhance development, and save money?
Policy brief from The Future of Children, a collaboration between the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and the Brookings Institution.

Experts: Don't blame killers' families
"When young people turn violent, we naturally turn to parenting to explain what went wrong, even though research suggests that hidden, often undiagnosed mental health problems — as well as perpetrators' relationships with peers, teachers and others — can play a much bigger role." (USA Today)

Minn. father on parenting from prison: 'They're doing this time with me'
"I'm not worried about my kids going to prison because, for one, I'm not going to let them. Their mothers definitely ain't going to let them. I didn't have no parents telling me, 'Don't go do nothing.'" (MPR News)