Sometimes Good Parents Produce Bad Kids – Po Bronson Talks to NPR

When kids act out, it’s often the parents who get the blame.

Whether they’re getting in trouble in school or misbehaving with family, many parents worry they’re doing something wrong. But that may not always be the case.

Neil Conan of Talk of the Nation talks to Dr. Richard Friedman, professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York and Po Bronson, author of NurtureShock.

Anyone with kids knows that every one is different. Some may be more creative, others more coordinated. Well, what about behavior? In a recent article in the New York Times, psychiatrist Richard Friedman pointed out that mental health professionals have long been trained to see children as products of their environment, intrinsically good until influenced otherwise, and he disagrees.

While there are all too many bad parents around, he argues, chronic bad behavior by a child does not necessarily mean bad parenting is responsible. Some kids are just bad seeds. He joins us in a moment.

Later in the hour, Superman turns 700, and the lead character in the comic book starts a walk across America. But first, are you the parent of a difficult child? Were you once a bad kid? Who’s to blame? Is it nature or nurture?

Click here to read the entire interview.