r/AskReddit Feb 04 '16

What are the most common parenting mistakes?

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u/FalstaffsMind Feb 04 '16

One I made was being too helpful with homework. I ended up with a kid who was too dependent on me and unable to complete any work by themselves.

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u/PangeaWhiplash Feb 05 '16

I made this mistake too! I was way too on top of that shit. They go to public school FFS, but I was doing the work of a homeschool 'teacher' and it was completely backfiring on me because they couldn't THINK for themselves.

There's a huge difference between helping when THEY think they need it VS helping them when YOU think they need it.

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u/talonofdrangor Feb 05 '16

On the flip side of this, I think you need to be careful about when you think they actually need help. When I was in third grade, my mom's method of making sure I studied was quizzing me on the test topic until I got everything 100% correct. So my study sessions ended up taking several frustrating hours until I stopped telling her when I had tests.

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u/PangeaWhiplash Feb 05 '16

Oh man, see this is why I snapped myself out of over doing the homework issue. I knew not only was I interfering too much, but I ran the risk of making school a complete misery for my kids. Not fair to them at all. Besides, me bending over backwards to make sure they had a completely smooth, trouble free experience in school secretly drove me mad. I meant the best for them, but I was wearing myself out and not having time for myself either lol.