Most parents agree that the parents in Operation Varsity Blues, who paid exorbitant sums of money to get their kids into prestigious colleges, were exerting too much pressure on their children, giving them unfair advantages and casting self-doubt onto their children. (Would some of these kids have gotten acceptance letters on their own?) Most parents would say, "I don't exert that kind of pressure on my kid."
Well, are you sure about that?
In Dr. Chris Thurber and Dr. Hendrie Weisinger's book The Unlikely Art of Parental Pressure, every parent goes back and forth between a Pressure Parent and a Support Parent. The art is finding the right balance. It's not about how MUCH pressure you put on your kids, but HOW you exert that pressure.
You can push your kids to be the best as long as you're pushing them to be their best. Give them room to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. Don't frame everything through your personal life experience lens because it's not the same as your child's. And most importantly, make sure you are praising, criticizing, and questioning your children effectively.
Those are just a few takeaways from this very informative book that will be perfect for parents of little ones and high schoolers. The book gives parents tips on how to transform what you've previously thought was okay pressuring to nurture internal motivation, improve parent-child interactions, build deep connections, sidestep cultural pitfalls, and help children do well.
The Unlikely Art of Parental Pressure is published by Hachette Go and is available to purchase now. I received a free review copy.
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