News Beat
Teachers Say Parents Aren’t Doing Kids ‘Any Favours’ By Doing This
Teachers are weighing in on the things parents do that are “not doing their kids any favours” as they grow up.
In a Reddit thread, education staff were given the opportunity to “get it off their chests” and tell parents “what they are doing wrong” – and, well, they didn’t hold back.
Here’s what they’ve observed in classrooms, and what they’d like some parents to reconsider at home…
Phone use
“Parents… put your phones down while driving with your kid in the car, while you watch them play sports and… well… just in general. Your addiction is becoming their addiction.”
Fine motor skills
“You’re not doing your kid any favours by not teaching them fine motor skills. Your child should be able to open a carton of milk, peel a banana, and tie their shoes independently by the time they’re done with elementary (extraneous issues/fine motor skill issues obviously notwithstanding).”
Bunking off school
“You’re not doing your kid any favours by letting him pick and choose when he goes to school. The work only gets harder if you miss 3 days of instruction.”
Moaning about subjects
“You aren’t doing your kid any favours by saying things like ‘I’m just bad at (insert subject here)’ or ‘oh man, I remember hating (class)’. I teach Chemistry and Physics, the number of kids that come into my classes convinced they are bad at math or that my classes will be needlessly hard because of horror stories told by their parents is mind blowing. Why set the expectations that my classes will be bad and hard before your kid has even tried?”
Sleep
“You’re not doing your kid any favours by letting preschoolers set their own bedtime. Or subsequently shaming them in front of their teacher and making them apologise for ‘choosing’ to stay up until 1am watching TV.”
Discipline
“You are not doing your kid any favours by outsourcing all the discipline to their teachers. You are also not doing yourself any favours! You are teaching your child that you are a pushover and they don’t have to listen to you.”
“I was going to say you’re not doing them any favours by never telling them no, but this falls along the same lines. Be their parents, not their friends.”
Solving problems
“You’re not doing your kid any favours by solving every tiny discomfort, upset, or challenge for them.”
Focusing on grades
“You’re not doing your kids any favours by focusing only on their grades and not what kind of human being they are developing into. Focus on the three Cs: confidence, compassion, curiosity and the rest will take care of itself eventually.”
Siding with kids
“You’re not doing your kid any favours by siding with them over their teacher and acting like they did nothing wrong.”
Unmonitored screentime
“By not watching what your kids do on their computers, social media, or what they are streaming.”
