I'm always amazed that it takes copious research to convince some people of obvious things! For example, I just read about a new study in a Pediatric Journal showing that parents who are actively involved in setting rules and reinforce what their teens learn in driver's ed have children who are safer drivers! See what I mean?! But, this IS good information, and, as the author of one of the studies said: "The real message of this paper is that parents matter." Whew: good to know!
Not long ago I read the results of a study that showed that teenagers who watched TV shows with sexual overtones were much more likely to engage in sex. Again, did they really need laborious research to figure that out? Common sense tells me that people who view risky behavior are more likely to behave at risk!
I suppose that just because we think an outcome is common sensical, we need still need the data to back it up! I just find several parenting studies amusing when the answer seems obvious!
Or, maybe I just think I'm an expert on the subject!? Well, after 28 years of lab work, I certainly should have picked up a few ideas along the way!
