Homework

Schoolwork and homework can create a great deal of stress between parents and children. Many parents believe it is their job to “make” their children do well in school. When your child doesn’t do well in school, do you do your parental duty and ground him or her until those grades improve? If so, were you effective in getting your child to improve his or her grades?

I ask you, how important is schoolwork anyway? Before you answer, what is your goal in wanting your child to do well in school? You want your child to get good grades so he or she can get into a good college, have a successful career and a fulfilling life, right? Now ask yourself the question, does your child have to be an A-student to accomplish this? The answer is most likely no. There are countless examples of people without a superb education accomplishing great things. Did you know Albert Einstein was thrown out of school without a high school diploma and that Bill Gates did not graduate college? Now, you may think these are exceptions to the rule and you may be right. However, if Kyle can have 16 Fs on his report card and still be accepted into college, then your child will probably also be all right with some Fs on his or her report card, too.

So what can you do? Children do not hate meaningful learning—it’s the coercion that’s problematic. “Do this and you’ll get an A. Don’t do it and you’ll fail.” There is a natural resistance to that system, especially when children can’t see the usefulness of what they are being asked to do for the A.

You can help instill in them a joy of learning by demonstrating how you are a lifetime learner who is committed to elevating your understanding of the things important to you. Take an interest in what your child is doing and avail yourself of every opportunity to draw connections between what your child is learning in school and the things he or she has an interest in.

I like the Hallmark sentiment that parents give their children two great gifts—one is roots, the other wings. If you’ve done a good job providing the roots, then you need to trust your child will figure out how to fly if you just get out of his or her way. That’s not to say your child will never make an error in judgment but each time he or she does, hopefully a lesson will be learned.

For more information about this subject check out our Empowerment Parenting Home Study Course or eBook