A Perfect Quote to Remind Parents Not to Overthink A Child’s Weaknesses
Parents are typically very aware of their child’s weaknesses. This is typically the result of 1 of 3 cases:
- Their child shares the same weaknesses as the parent.
- The parent is strong in an area that their child is weak.
- Or, the child’s weaknesses are preventing them from reaching one or more goals.
As a result of one of these three things, parents tend to stress weaknesses far too much. For example, a study done by the research company Gallup showed that “77% of U.S. parents say that the subjects in which a child get the worst grades deserve the most time and attention.”
The problem with this is that while most of the attention is going towards fixing weaknesses, little attention is going towards strengthening the strengths. Moreover, a child will get the most success in their life by doing their best to excel at something they love doing, and that will come from learning how to use their strengths. As a result, the goal of a parent should never be to “fix” a child’s weakness.
Going down the road of trying to “fix” a child is problematic. Children don’t need fixing, they just need parents, teachers, and coaches to nurture their nature. I’m not saying that weaknesses don’t need managing. I’m saying that it’s better to focus on strengthening strengths, and using those strengths to manage weaknesses.
When I explain this to a parent, their head always nods in agreement. However, it’s so easy to forget this lesson in the moments when a child is struggling. So, here is a great quote by Malcolm Forbes to commit to memory as a reminder.
Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.