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The one thing parents shouldn’t do in their teen’s final school years
Support and encourage them? Yes. Motivate them? No
Recently, I’ve been doing webinars for senior students and their parents for schools across Australia. These sessions are to counter a popular but problematic Year 11 and 12 approach that’s taken by some families.
Often with good intentions, parents over assist their child in senior. In some families, all additional responsibilities are removed from the child, so they can focus on their study. Some parents excuse them from their chores or insist they quit their choir or sporting team, so they have maximum time to study. Teens who should be independent in their studies might still be organised and motivated by their parents, or over assisted in completing their work.
I understand it’s with great love and care. But it’s a mistake.
Accomplishment in anything is made up of three factors. First, you need to be able to do the task. A lot of this depends on your underlying ability. There are some people who are naturally better at certain things than others. Ian Thorpe, had the classic body of a swimmer giving him a distinct advantage over his rivals. This gave him a better chance of success.
