Pediatrician reveals one thing that affects the child’s future the most—it goes beyond parenting styles

Parents might feel responsible for everything concerning their kids. They could also think that their parenting style would have a huge impact on their kids' behavior and their future. But surprisingly enough, one pediatrician explained that a person's parenting style is not the most important factor in deciding their kid's future. The man, Dr. Mike Milobsky, shared two things that decide a kid's future, and neither of them is parenting. The doctor shared the theory on TikTok, where he goes by @dr_mikem. The video received over 1.8 million views.

"The number one influence on the life course outcome of your child as an adult is not your parenting," Dr. Milobsky began. "Actually, the number one choice that you can make, that impacts your children long-term, is the environment where you live." The environment included a child's peer groups, the school community, the community at large where the family lived, and the other adults in the child's life. "The truth is that the peak influence of your parenting on your child's behavior is from ages zero to seven. After age 15, that drops to about six percent. After age 21, it's essentially zero."
@dr_mikem I give out tons of advice to parents every day. As a parent of 7 kids and a Pediatrician of 25 yrs, this is the most important . It surprises many parents of young kids when I say , but if you have grown children - you will know how true this is #pediatrics #pediatrician #fatherhood #parenting ♬ original sound - Dr. Mike Milobsky
The second influence on a child's life is their genetics. "What they know clearly comes from the parents. That's the function of the environment you create for them and their exposure," Milobsky pointed out. "But in terms of their traits, their abilities, their makeup, their personality, that is not from you. That is from their genetic background," the doctor went on. "The long-term outcome has everything to do with the influences around them, as they get older, that shape these things that emerge." He continued that any parent who would like to know more about this theory could check the work of Russell Barkley, a prominent American child neuropsychologist. The caption read, "I give out tons of advice to parents every day. As a parent of seven kids and a Pediatrician of 25 years, this is the most important."
Milobsky went on, "It surprises many parents of young kids when I say this, but if you have grown children, you will know how true this is." Many parents agreed with the doctor's advice in the comments section of the video. @sophietilla1 explained, "To all the people commenting about this being a horrible ending for low-income people, I would disagree completely. Low-income families often have strong community and connections within their immediate environment. My husband grew up in Compton in the 90s and is fabulous. He had a great family and friends and grew up with lots of opportunities to build resilience. Low-income does not mean you have to settle for low-quality people."


@cypher863_ commented, "Thank you, doctor! As a low-income single parent, I live in the crappiest house in the best school district I can afford." @cuteliljess10 wrote, "We removed the toxic family members, and we’ve changed schools. We’ve seen such growth." @bigsistertawks remarked, "This is why even if you live in a low-income home (I did a lot of my life), keep it clean! I now decorate my home in art, lots of color, I keep it clean, creative and cozy." The pediatrician often shares parenting advice on his page. In one video, he explained that apologizing to kids is the most powerful message parents can send to them. "There's no such thing as perfect parenting. It's just about showing up every day and trying to grow."
@dr_mikem We are all just out here doing our best , trying to grow…. #pediatrician #pediatrics #parenting #growth ♬ sonido original - BACK TO THE 90's
You can follow Dr. Mike Milobsky (@dr_mikem) on TikTok for more parenting content.
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