Parent resources

It is difficult to be entirely objective about your children’s abilities, whether sporting, academic, musical or social. Parents’ own success or failure can be a handicap to their children. One head told us “untold damage is done to children by their parents’ aspirations”. Daughters can suffer from the weight of parental aspirations, in particular where there is no brother. There are hairy tales of children being packed off to psychologists because they are not achieving the ‘correct’ academic level at the right time and of children suffering from stress, depression or eating disorders from as early as age eight.

Even if you are careful to avoid putting on the pressure, your children may feel a duty to achieve above and beyond your expectations – so keep talking to them and discuss both of your hopes and aspirations for them.