Hyper-parenting is a phenomenon that is growing more and more common in today’s society. Helicopter parents, tiger moms… these are just a few of the phrases used to refer to overprotective parents whose actions generate more negative consequences than benefits in their children.
Many studies have shown that rebellious attitudes in today’s teenagers are a result of overly protective parents during childhood. It seems like they want to clear their conscience with an extra dose of attention and protection, which is rarely recommended for optimal development in children.
There are methods that exist which encourage children to be independent with their learning. Educational online programs, like Smartick, allow them to progress without continuous parental supervision. Trial and error, learning from their mistakes.
The founders of Smartick, Javier Arroyo and Daniel de Vega, are conscious of the growing worry that parents have about how we are educating our children. “With kid gloves and not exposing them to any type of risk.” In order to push back against this type of hyper-parenting, they insist on the need for children to be able to face challenges that they could possibly fail at. That way, they learn to make mistakes, deal with the frustration, pick themselves up, and try again.
”Some parents write to us, telling us about how their children cannot tolerate making mistakes, that they cry if they don’t answer questions fast enough or correctly. But we know that making mistakes and dealing with frustration are essential parts to not only improving math skills, but building grit.”
It is not important how many questions are answered correctly or how fast they can solve a problem, what is important is the effort that is put in day after day. Yes, it can be difficult to see your child struggle from time to time but the pay off will be impressive. So let them make mistakes and watch them thrive.
Learn More:
- Using Frustration and Failure as Educational Tools
- 8 Guidelines to Improve Frustration Tolerance in Children
- Frustration and Failure as Instruments of Education
- The Importance of Learning from Mistakes
- Mistakes: An Opportunity to Learn
Master’s in International Education from the Universidad de Alcalá– Instituto Franklin.
She has worked as a teacher in three different countries and is now a Translator on the Content Creation Team at Smartick and helps to adapt content for blog posts.
As a native Rhode Islander she loves any activity on the water and when she’s not working you can find her traveling, kickboxing, or trying out a new recipe.
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