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Parental Involvement In Schools: Is It Really All That Good?

    Parental involvement for the millennial generation has become a controversial topic. The parents, who cannot let their children go, have begun to micromanage their kids. They are hyper involved in the child’s school and education, and have begun to take over their child’s academic life by doing their kid’s homework and staying in the classroom to see what their child is learning. The parents are over anxious about their child’s safety as well, and have come to be very strict with their kids. I believe it is time we stand to take action against this overprotectiveness.

    Parental engagement may be a good idea, however too much of it can cause harm. It causes students to become dependent on their parents. “As a child gets older, it is a real problem for a parent to work against their child’s independent thought and action…,” said Ron Goldblatt, executive director of the Association of Independent Maryland Schools. Many young adults entering college and further studies have the necessary academic skills, but not the life skills they will need as in sharing, self-reliance, and conflict resolution. The students never or rarely got to solve their own problems and as a result never learned how to, because their parents always did it for them.

    Some parents have begun to abate their child’s freedom. This is very dangerous because it keeps the child from making decisions on their own. The child needs to make good and bad decisions in order to learn the difference and learn to trust their own judgement. If the parent is the one making all of the choices, then the child does not get the chance to grow their self-confidence and self-esteem overtime. “Rather, it is to discuss how to be involved in their children’s lives, while allowing their children to learn the life skills they will need to succeed in college and beyond,” said Walter of Seton Hall, where orientation includes sessions for parents and students- both separately and together.

    A child can hardly carve their way into the world when an overly-involved parent will not let them have their own experiences. Choosing the child’s extra-curricular activities, micromanaging visits to friends’ houses, solving social problems, doing the child’s homework and being nosey or intrusive can turn the child into a parrot who only does and likes what they are taught to like. The child misses out on developing their own habits, hobbies, and likes and dislikes. “There are a lot of things I can’t control,” said one Bethesda mother who asked not to be identified because, she said, her daughter would be mortified. “Terrorists, the environment. But I can control how my daughter spends her day.”

    Of course, many will support parental engagement. I agree in that it could possibly be a good idea, because the parents and guardians would be aware of their child’s academic performance and how the student does socially. However, some parents go overboard and start living their child’s life for them. I believe that parental involvement, if not banned, should become more strict or else the next generation will consist of unoriginal people who are dependent on others, including their parents. I am not aiming for parents to let go completely, because parents are and should continue to be an essential part of their childrens’ lives. Rather, it is how often and to what extent they protect their children.
-Kashika Bharol