What the College Admissions Scandal Revealed about Parenting
The excited response to the exposing of the college admissions scandal showed how much things had gotten worse. It also served to show how bad things had gotten over time. Nobody wanted to talk about it, even though it was getting worse by the day. This was the case of rich parents using money to get their kids places to join some of the best colleges in the country. Those truly deserving would be robbed of their places, and the overall system would be watered down in terms of quality. As the parents went about doing all they could for their kids, they were in the process making things much wore for their kids. Their actions also affected other innocent kids and their futures.
Money will make you access more things, but it will improve your parenting skills. The challenge lies in raising kids who are confident, self-motivated and secure. Money has little to do in that process. This all depends on what you do. By showing them the power of hard work, they shall learn to have grit. Let they make mistakes and learn from them as well. They should also tackle their problems, and only step in when it is clearly overwhelming. A spirit of independence is also necessary, for them to learn better judgment, and so act accordingly in your absence.
It is clear that you only make things worse when you throw money at your child’s problems. Kids will turn to you to learn good values and to know what the right way is. They know when all you have to give is your money and nice things. They need to be kept in a comfortable environment, but more than that, they need to learn from you. This is your chance to teach them integrity, empathy, good judgment, and self-control. They need guidance from you, and limit setting. This is how they learn to have realistic expectations of themselves, those around them and their environment. When you do not teach them that, you have as much as neglected them. There is no way you can expect the child to work hard after they have seen you handle their problem with some money. Seeing as they learn from you, you will have taught them quite something. They will not see a need to get good grades in school. They know you will do something about it with money. They will not appreciate or put in the work since they did not even earn that placement in the first place. They know that you shall do the same when it is time for them to get a job. There is more to being a parent that has nothing to do with money.