Don't Protect Your Gifted Students Too Much
As parents, we want our kids to be happy. It is painful to watch them experience the bumps of life. We also worry about their self-esteem and try to protect it. But BEWARE!! Too much protection can be harmful.
Many parents fight to get their kids into more challenging academic classes because it is understood that challenge is healthy. It is interesting then that
parents often protect their students from challenge in other aspects of their lives, such as dealing with uncomfortable situations, learning to work with people who have different ideas, earning money to purchase something they want, doing without a lot of material things, or learning to fill their own free time. We don’t allow children to struggle because we are afraid it will damage their self-esteem.
Parents who constantly hover over their children, trying to make the world just right for them are called “helicopter parents.”
So stop trying to solve all your children’s problems. Just as you demand challenging academic classes for your kids, also demand that they accept their own challenges in life.