Ana Aznar, daughter of former Government President José María Aznar and former Madrid Mayor Ana Botella, has published her first manual, titled Educar también es decir no (Vergara). The work addresses her concern about the “noise and misinformation” surrounding motherhood and fatherhood, especially regarding extreme positive parenting trends.
The psychologist emphasizes that although parents want to believe they have total control over their children's development, the child's innate temperament is the “clay” that can be molded, but not changed. She insists that parents are not the only influential factor, as friends, teachers, grandparents, and culture also play a crucial role.
“"Our goal should not be for our child to be happy, but for them to develop the necessary tools to face the problems that life will bring and to forge their own happiness."
Aznar criticizes the trend toward permissiveness, often adopted to avoid the authoritarian model, arguing that a child without limits grows up unprotected. This reluctance to say “no” is exacerbated by the trend of having fewer children later in life, making them the absolute center of the home.
Regarding attachment parenting, the author clarifies that scientific evidence shows that all children develop an affective bond with their parents. Therefore, “it is not necessary for the child to sleep attached to you to develop this attachment,” thus separating co-sleeping from the necessity of bonding.
“"Let us not fall into the error of viewing parenthood and motherhood as a job because in this way we turn our children into our profit and loss statement."
