How to make your child timid and useless    079

It’s so easy—so many mothers do it but they do mean to help. Just recently I witnessed a mother and her 15-year-old son presenting a resume to a senior staff member at a well known group of stores. The purpose was to apply for a junior Christmas holiday job. Well the son just stood there, unsmiling, dressed in what looked like an old tracksuit. Perhaps he just rolled out of bed. The mother did all the talking and handed over the son’s resume, contained in a cheap plastic sleeve with no backing sheet. I judged the resume to have no more than 50 words on it and that’s equivalent to about two or three sentences.

Later I spoke to that particular senior staff member and it seems that in this store about 70 per cent of mothers do exactly what has been described. Of course mothers will be disappointed when their child doesn’t get the position. Some may even think it was unfair.  Few of the children will be disappointed though—well, why should they care, after all it wasn’t their application.

Teachers today tell children that their future is unlimited. They can be whatever they want to be. Well, sorry, right now I’m going to have to introduce a rude word—‘competition’. Not a word teachers use and not a word that excites children. But then they—both teachers and students, and to some extent, parents also—live in the fantasy world of school, where the word ‘no’ is rarely used.

Now I have covered in detail elsewhere how to prepare your children for the job market, so today, here is just one hint—start your child talking. They must be able to look, smile, engage and speak clearly. Start by putting their hand up in class. Say good morning to a teacher walking across the playground, especially if it is the school principal. From there they can speak to shop assistants and thank bus drivers, and so on. This is the type of communication maturity which could assist in achieving the position of school captain or prefect. Such positions improve university scholarship and trainee applications.

Is all this too tough, too competitive? Well then just keep doing everything for your child. Other parents will thank you as their children can move forward and take your child’s position. Oh, and by the way, if your child ever does get married you will be organising the wedding. And you probably should go on the honeymoon also, in case there is any confusion.

All content copyright—Mark Thackray—Australian Educational Services