No one has perfect kids. Every kid has weaknesses, and parents should help their kids to identify those weaknesses. Instead of trying to hide a child’s weakness, parents should bring the weakness to the child’s attention, so that the parent can help the child to identify and understand his weakness, and develop skills to compensate for and work around the child’s weakness.
Failing is part of growing up. Read helpful tips for letting your kids be independent.
Weakness: A Path to Strength, Not a Source of Fear?
Helicopter parents try to cover up work their child’s weakness, which can have adverse effects on the child, and actually make the weakness into more of a problem. Instead, parents should take the following steps: Parents should admit their own weakness to the child, so that the child can understand that we all have weaknesses. Then parents should help the child to identify his own weakness, and talk with the child about how to overcome the weakness. Parents should avoid giving their children the false impression that they will always be just as good as anyone else in everything they do. Parents should also emphasize and reward hard work, rather than natural talent. Parents should also not forget to also talk about the child’s strengths, which is just as important to building the child up as identifying what the child is not good at.
You may need to make it clear that your child will never be as good as their peers at whatever they’re weak at. They may never be as good at math as their classmates, the same way you won’t ever be able to do ballet.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Key takeaways
- Some children are good at just about everything.
- It’s important to admit the weaknesses of your child.
- It’s important to have an open dialogue about overcoming weaknesses.
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