How Involved Should You Be in Your Child’s Formal Education?

This is a collaborative post.

Every parent wants nothing but the best for his or her child. While this is indeed a noble mindset to adopt, it can sometimes come at a price, especially with their formal education.

Some parents may adopt a “hands-off” approach while others may instead choose to hover over their child as if they were a helicopter (hence the term “helicopter parenting”).

Is it possible to find a happy medium between these two extremes? What steps can you take to ensure that your child is supported and yet, able to handle challenges without always relying upon a parent? Let’s take a quick look at this rather tricky topic.

Gentle Neglect

Sometimes known as “gentle parenting”, this approach involves parents who choose to embrace a handful of approaches including:

Empathy

Respect

Communication

Understanding

Having said this, another term referred to as “gentle neglect” has come to light in recent years. This generally signifies a parent who still cares deeply about their child and yet, sets clear boundaries in regard to the type of support that is provided. The potential problem here is that there may be times when a child feels as if they are not important to the parent; leading to future issues with trust and attachment.

Helicopter Parenting with formal education

We encounter helicopter parenting on the other side of the proverbial coin. This type of parenting involves a disproportionate amount of attention being placed on the development of a child. While parents may believe that this encourages a healthy relationship, it can often lead to problems with how a child perceives the outside world. Such a mindset is particularly harmful if parents place undue importance upon successes and failures. The issue here is that children may become too heavily reliant upon the opinions of adults, which may impact how they gauge their own feelings of self-worth.

Straddling the Fence

We have now taken a look at two disparate parenting styles. Is there any way to find a compromise? In other words, how involved should you be with the development of your child?

These questions are a bit more complicated than they may initially appear. The unique personality of your little one will have a massive impact on the approaches that you choose to take.

However, it is still crucial to recall that there are plenty of resources at your disposal. For instance, the Educater EYFS learning journey guide can provide a plethora of useful information and suggestions when the going gets tough.

It is ultimately important to find a balance between becoming an overprotective parent and one who does not appear to outwardly care for how their child is developing in their formal education. In truth, this is likely to require some trial and error. Children need to feel that they are loved and yet, hovering similar to a helicopter may actually impede emotional development.

If you wish to learn more, it is wise to speak with a child development specialist. He or she will be able to provide much-needed guidance at the appropriate times.

If you found this helpful please share!