Seven goofs to avoid for your child’s academic success and discipline
Excessive desire to please a child is a serious flaw that not only strips parents of the authority to guide and counsel their children but also impairs children’s reasoning.
What you need to know:
- Excessive desire to please a child is a serious flaw that not only strips parents of the authority to guide and counsel their children but also impairs children’s reasoning.
- Parents should not block their children from appreciating reality.
It is every parent’s desire to see their children perform well in school. However, not all parenting strategies work to enhance their performance and discipline.
First, it is crucial for parents to be realistic about their children’s abilities. This would save them the frustration of unfulfilled expectations and help them avoid stressing their children.
Secondly, some knee-jerk remarks parents make within their children’s earshot have at times had devastating consequences.
Learners will never take seriously teachers who are slighted and derided back in their homes.
Thirdly, excessive desire to please a child is a serious flaw that not only strips parents of the authority to guide and counsel their children but also impairs children’s reasoning.
Interestingly, the inability to discipline a child is a compensatory tactic for absenteeism, collapsed marital ties and lack of vigilance in moulding children.
Appreciating reality
Fourthly, parents should not block their children from appreciating reality. This happens when parents promise their children schools way above their qualifications. This habit bears the subtle message that hard work and integrity do not guarantee academic success.
In addition, placing average or below-average learners in classes of high achievers is at times counterproductive.
The low achievers may outdo themselves trying to affirm their smartness. This may break determination and breed smugness.
Fifthly, parents should strive to learn a little of their teen children’s language.
This would enable them to detect anti-social behaviour such as drug and substance abuse, and recruitment into criminal gangs.
Sixthly, parents should defy the temptation to impose their career choices and dreams onto their children and instead identify and nurture their talents.
Lastly, parents should avoid exaggerated monetary gifts, and instead enhance guidance and mentorship.
While there is no standard manual for parents, avoiding these goofs would enhance the discipline and academic performance of teenage learners.
Dr Silas Mwirigi is the Principal, Kagumo High School. He is also an author and researcher.
