As part of the research paper we did for class, I learned about the Brazelton method. One of the main beliefs that Brazelton has is that parents are the experts when it comes to their children. Professionals who work with parents and children should never dismiss that knowledge. A few weeks ago, my husband took our daughter to the pediatrician. She's prone to croup and had spent the night before wheezing, so we wanted to make sure it didn't get worse. Working at our pediatrician's office was a medical student from a local university. He was doing his pediatrics rotation and did the preliminary exam before our normal doctor came in.
"What makes you think she has croup?" the student asked, his tone derisive. My husband explained the symptoms again and my daughter's history, but he immediately shut down to any efforts the student made to help our daughter. Later, my husband told me that he felt like the student thought he was stupid and didn't know what he was talking about. Even though the student might have been right, his manner made it impossible for my husband to listen.
Dealing with parents is tricky. It doesn't matter how much expertise we have if we don't treat parents with respect and honor them for what they know. And they know a lot. Most are willing to share if we give them a chance.
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