The Washington Post debunks seven common parenting myths.
- Success in school predicts success in life. Parents think their kids have to get into a top college to be successful, so they put pressure on their kids to get good grades. They don’t realize that kids who excel in one area — which is often outside the classroom — will be fine.
- Pursuing a passion won’t earn a living. Be supportive of what your child loves. Parents believe their kids have to follow the same path that worked for them: Get good grades in everything, go to a good college, get a good job. That may work for some. For others it doesn’t.
- Kids whose parents help them will turn out better. Children who are given responsibility learn they can do important things. Children who are trusted to fix their mistakes gain confidence that they have the skills to succeed.
- It’s easy to tell which young kids will become leaders. Certainly, some future entrepreneurs have been taking charge since their days on the playground. But just as many didn’t blossom until much later.
- Children should grow up without adversity. Many of the entrepreneurs I spoke to overcame real problems growing up … They learned they had the ability to fight, to come back, and to keep going. This gave them the confidence to solve problems on their own.
- Birth order is important. When I started researching, someone said, “I bet all the entrepreneurs are ‘firsts’ or ‘onlies’.” In fact, all the entrepreneurs told me that coming later in birth order was also an advantage, often because it meant they were given more freedom.
- Entrepreneurs choose their careers to make money. Successful companies are often founded to make a difference in the world. If entrepreneurs don’t believe in what they’re doing, how will they survive the 18-hour days, the funding worries and the uncertainties of the marketplace?
Read the full article at the Washington Post.
