Parenting can be very challenging at times, as it does not come with a manual.
Therefore, we often make mistakes that we are not aware of, and very often, they result from our tendency to be overprotective or fail to acknowledge the importance of responsibilities.
Thus, even though we might believe that we do our kids a favor when we do all the housework alone and let them enjoy their time or finish their school work only, it turns out the opposite!
Namely, scientists suggest that giving your kids at least a shortlist of things to do at home is a great idea, as it will help them grow up to be successful.
Julie Lythcott-Haims, an author and a former Dean of Freshmen at Stanford University, shares this wisdom with the rest of the world.
She maintains that we can all raise successful kids without overparenting which is something a lot of people I know need to work towards a better understanding.
She wrote:
“After hundreds of talks with parents around the world, here’s what I’ve come to. We parents are the lucky humans given the humbling task of raising a child. We’re supposed to be alongside them, guiding them, giving them more and more room to try, learn, grow, persevere, achieve. But, these days, we can tend to get in the way, by micromanaging our kid’s path or by outright dragging them down it. We think we know what we’re doing—but we end up depriving them of developing self-efficacy. And that leads to anxiety and depression. So. We have to get our act together. We have to get out of our kid’s way so they can develop the skills and smarts they’ll need in order to thrive as adults. “
Julie claims that when it comes to raising children who become successful as adults, chores are important.
This was proven by the Harvard Grant Study which has gone for over 75 years, as it showed that people who do more chores and housework as children are happier later in life.
Happiness is closely tied to success.
Lythcott-Haims maintains:
“The Harvard Grant Study [finds] that professional success in life…comes from having done chores as a kid. And the earlier you start it the better…If kids aren’t doing the dishes, it means someone else is doing that for them. And so they’re absolved of not only the work, but of learning that work has to be done and that each one of us must contribute for the betterment of the whole.”
In this sense, parents can make two mistakes: either refusing to assign chores to their kids, or refusing to let them have time to themselves.
The wise thing to do is to find the perfect balance to ensure the child’s proper development.
Watch the video below for Julie’s Ted Talk:
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