Most parents aren’t sure whether they’re parenting too much or too little. They beat themselves up in a bid to raise star children who’re good in either academics or sports. They don’t understand why it’s important kids learn to fail.
For some parents, having a perfect child means that they’ve succeeded as parents. However, they fail to see the consequences of such a mentality on themselves and the kids.
The desire that parents possess to see their children excel and shine often leaves little room for mistakes.
When your children are born, you’re the pilot to their development and the values you instill in them shape the person they grow into. And this is where most parents begin to teach kids that they should win at everything.
As a result, kids grow up devoid of how it feels to make mistakes and how to move on and learn from those mistakes.
Most child psychologists and specialists recommend allowing children to feel disappointed.
By denying your children disappointment and failure, you rob them of vital survival skills.
Remember, no one can have a lifetime of lucky streaks – at some point in their lives, something will disappoint them, and they won’t have the skills to get through it.
This kind of parenting has seen a surge in mental health issues in young adults and children. Struggling to be perfect robs children the opportunity to learn through their shortcomings.
By helicopter parenting your child, you’re also disabling their decision making which makes them dependent on instant gratification. They lack the resilience to go through tough times and situations.
Failure helps children learn about themselves
No one in life has succeeded without failing. If you look at the most successful and smartest people in the world, they failed countless times until one day things worked out. Failure helps your kids learn their limits and how to recover from setbacks.
Kids learn how to be resilient
Kids who have everything handed to them and those who learn how to work for what they want are starkly different — those who learn how to work for what they want, learn resilience early and can wade through frustration better than spoon-fed children.
Prepares your children for the real world
Ready your children, while they’re young, for the punches that life will land when they’re older. Allow them to learn how the world works and form their independent views of life.
Eliminates fear of failure
Fear of failure is crippling too many children, especially when they’ve yet to experience it. Some children get panic attacks because they’re afraid to fail. If you ask them why, it’s because their parents made them believe that failing is the worst thing possible. However, the opposite is true; if your kids learn how to work through their temporary setbacks, they can face situations without being paralyzed by the fear of failing.
Failure raises stronger kids
Protecting your children from failure makes them vulnerable to anxiety, and they’ll cave very quickly under pressure. Remember, intelligence is malleable and therefore, the more they fail, the more they learn better ways of doing something. Mistakes help your kids test their abilities and get stronger in pursuing what they want.
Helps children pursue their goals
Helicopter parenting often makes children settle for the safe options which means that they neglect what they want. Teaching kids at an early age that failure is not the end of everything allows kids to dream and pursue their dreams knowing that even if they fail, they’ll get back up stronger and give it another shot.
Also read:
- 6 Great Books About Being A Mum – For Times When You Need A Boost
- 13 Truths Every Parent Of Teenagers Knows
