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The compelling case for being an 'intentionally lazy' parent
Why parents need to step back to allow children to plan ahead and solve problems independently
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The average student isn't directly taught how to keep track of her assignments, plan a night's worth of work and then complete the task. They're expected to know how to do this or to figure it out. Parents need a framework to reinforce these skills at home.
PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO
Scott Lutostanski
Last year, I worked with Charlie, a typical kid. He was a bright student, taking a few honours classes and scoring around the 90th percentile on standardised tests. He ran cross-country in the autumn and played lacrosse in the spring. He had a group of close buddies that he hung out with on most weekends.
But every Wednesday when we met, he shared different variations of the same problem: a test that he had bombed because he forgot to study, a missing piece of equipment for lacrosse that caused him to sit out the practice, a paper that he procrastinated writing until really late on Sunday so he had to pull an all-nighter, or a completed homework assignment that he forgot to take to school.
