The Atlantic published an article with a title that may be startling to some: "Why Parents Need to Let Their Children Fail." The author begins with a story from her early days of teaching: after informing a parent that her child would get a zero for plagiarizing a paper, the parent told the author that it was she who had written her child's paper and not her child. The mother said her child had been feeling stressed and she wanted to spare her further discomfort.
When the article suggests that parents let children fail, it is not saying that parents should leave children completely on their own. Instead, it suggested that parents lets their children feel the discomfort of facing a day where they've forgotten a lunch or homework, getting a so-so grade after doing last-minute work, or of having to go to a party and find something to eat at a party if he or she is a picky eater.
According to the writer, "What worry me most are the examples of overparenting that have the potential to ruin a child's confidence and undermine an education in independence…These are the parents who worry me the most -- parents who won't let their child learn."
If you are concerned that your child is underperforming academically, doing his or her assignments won't help further your child's education. If you do an okay job, your child may get acceptable grades but he or she won't increase in knowledge. Instead, partner with your child's teachers to find ways to guide your child towards academic success.
Horizon Education Centers provide activities to help reinforce what is being taught in school. We are here to help if your child is having a difficult time in school and can provide additional academic support.
