I hope to become a parent one day, and when I do I would like to be a good one. I have been trying to learn a bit about what that entails, which has so far involved reading lots of questions and answers on this site, as well as the "Parenting" Wikipedia page. That page contains the following quote:
Parenting skills are widely thought to be naturally present in parents; however, there is substantial evidence to the contrary.
My question is: How do I transition from someone with no knowledge of parenting into someone who is likely to succeed at the task? How do I gain those parenting skills that are not naturally present, ideally before they're required of me?
To clarify, and (hopefully) to keep this question from being considered too broad, I am not asking for a list of everything I need to know. I'm asking more for an overview of the process. When someone wants to become a doctor, they're told they need good high school grades, they need to take certain university courses and attain a certain GPA, then apply to med school and pass the exams. What is the closest equivalent for becoming a good parent? Of course, becoming a doctor is a legally certified and clearly defined accomplishment - I'm aware that being a good parent is more nebulous than that. But I hope it's a useful analogy. I'm not looking for the information I'd receive during lectures, but the information on which lectures to attend.
Learning nothing ahead of time seems ill-advised. Googling has led to about a million options for where to start, many of which feel skewed towards selling a book or course. And I do not feel qualified to evaluate whether advice a book gives is worth listening to; I'm wary of getting sucked in by a well-written book full of wrong-headed ideas.
And to keep answers from being too subjective, I would prefer answers that reflect generally agreed-upon best practices. What subjects would a paediatrician, or a developmental psychologist, recommend reading up on before becoming a parent?