Overprotective Parents The best overprotective parents dad blog!
Related Articles
I remember my brother mentioning to me how he wanted to be the parent that supported teachers with their decisions rather than challenge them every time his child disagreed with something, or they received a bad grade. It can be tough to be a parent these days. For some reason it is our nature (now more than ever) to be overprotective parents. We want to protect them from injustice or anything unfair. We can’t help being the way we are because we love our children so very much.
Daughter Receives and Unfair Grade and Mom Wants to Discuss it With the Teacher
A childhood friend of mine posted a letter from her daughter’s teacher which basically said her daughter did not turn in the assignment correct and would not receive credit, or a grade until she did. My friend was upset as she felt an injustice was taking place and her daughter was being treated unfairly. My immediate reaction would probably have been similar.
The majority of her Facebook friends felt as though there was an injustice as well and said that the teacher needed a good talking to.
My Daughter’s Teacher Was Being Unfair
I pick up my daughter from school quite frequently if my schedule allows it. And when you pickup your children from school you can typically figure out what kind of day they had with in the first few seconds of conversation.
I noticed my daughter visibly irritated and upset more and more each day after school. She would complain that her teacher would find reasons not to let them go to recess. And the times that she wouldn’t let them out for recess happen to be the same time that she was required to be the yard duty. In other words if she was required to be outside with the children, she found a reason to keep her kids in the class.
My daughter complained more and more as the days went by about how she really enjoy recess and how she felt that it was very unfair that for one reason or another they were only getting one recess a day.
I asked my daughter if she wanted me to talk to her teacher about the lack of recess. My daughter was quick to answer yes.
I didn’t know her teacher very well. The most my wife and I had talked with her teacher was a few days before school started when we dropped off school supplies, so I had no bearing on what type of person my daughter’s teacher was. My main worry was that I would mention my daughters concern and she might retaliate in some way against my daughter.
So I tried to explain my thoughts about speaking to her teacher and told her she might be better off asking what she could do to insure she was able to have both recesses each day. To be honest I didn’t think my daughter would bring it up. I know I probably wouldn’t have done it at her age.
The next day my daughter was excited to tell me how her day was after school. She told me she talked to her teacher and explained how she really loved recess and hated missing it. She explained to her teacher that she does her best to help keep the class quite and trash picked up from the classroom floor (because this is what kept the class from recess). Her teacher was glad that she came to her with the concern and told her they would need to brainstorm ways to keep the class quite and clean. She went on to tell my daughter how she was one of her favorite students.
The complaints about the lack of recess from my daughter no longer happened from that point on. I was happy that my daughter was able to work out the problem without my interference. I was also very proud of her.
Protecting and Teaching our Children at the Same Time
It is a difficult balance as parent to determine when we step in and when we let our kids fight their own battles.
It is my belief that we should give our children the chance to fight their battles first before we intervene in many cases.
If it’s a teacher handing out bad grades maybe we let our kids find out from the teacher where they went wrong, what they need to do different and how they can do better. These are skills we will use later in the work world and everyday life.
When that doesn’t work then we can jump in as overprotective parents and bring the thunder. Just a thought.
