Speculation

In the Wall Street Journal (February 4-5, 2012) there wa an article called Why French Parents are Superior. "One of the keys (of parenting practices) is the simple act of learning how to wait. It is why the French babies I meet mostly sleep through the night from two to three months old. Their parents don't pick them up the second they start crying, allowing the babies to learn how to fall back asleep." The author describes Walter Mischel's famous marshmallow research that points to the ability for self-control or delaying gratification as an important ingredient for success later in life.

My speculation is, independent of French or any other country's parenting culture, children who are well rested are directly more likely to have better impulse-control (fewer tantrums), be better able to delay gratification, and be more patient. When we are sleep-deprived, little things bother us more. We are in a state of heightened sensitivity. It's like having a bad sunburn; a light touch on the skin then really hurts. Furthermore, these well-rested children are more likely to have well rested parents who have more capability to go with the flow, calmly teach their values, and are less likely fly off the handle. So also indirectly, the children benefit.

What are your thoughts?

Marc

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