Education
Every pair of parents has a subtle competition going on most of the time. Even when they’re deeply committed to each other, daily life with a family provides no shortage of space for skirmishes. There’s a natural “gatekeeping” related to parents’ devotion to their child. Each parent believes he or she knows best on some issue of childrearing, which often results in disagreement. Mom thinks sugar should be restricted, and Dad thinks she’s being silly. Dad has no tolerance for sass, and Mom thinks some of it should be overlooked. These differences of opinion are usually of little consequence. Kids adjust well to their parents’ different ways of dealing with them, figuring them out early on. The challenge arises when one parent is sure his or her way is the only “right” way, resulting in the other parent being cut out of the decision-making process. That’s where gatekeeping begins. Another source of gatekeeping occurs when parents compare how much each is contributing to the family. The