The Power of a Parent's Encouragement

Parents, this post is for you. It’s about the power of an encouraging word.

In the decades that we’ve spent in the classroom, nothing has meant more to our students than a single uplifting moment of encouragement from you, their parents.

Trust us on this. Nothing - and we mean nothing - can compare to a phone call, hug or even a text message from a parent that’s filled with hope, forgiveness & encouragement.

You, as a parent reading this, may find it hard to believe us because what you may see at home is a moody, difficult child who resists your attempts to connect with them. There are many reasons for this which we will get to another time.

But, from our vantage point, nothing is more important to your child than your full acceptance. No matter who the child is, what their relationship with their parents is, or how they behave at school, all they care about fundamentally is making you proud.

We mean it.

We’ve had students from as young as 8 or 9 to full-grown 16 year old “tough” kids who break down and cry the moment they receive a simple text from their parents saying “I forgive you. It’s ok. I’m so proud of you”.

Your words are so powerful, dear parents. We’ve seen it standing in the classroom every day. You may not realise it because the side of your child you see is so different to the one we, as teachers, see, but believe us when we say that your children simply adore you.

They look up to you and yearn for your respect and admiration more than you may realise. They’d do anything in their power to get you to show your unconditional love for them. Sometimes that’s why they act out. It could be a cry for attention or help, but fundamentally, it boils down to wanting your full acceptance.

This long weekend, take the opportunity to pull your kids aside and tell them how proud you are of them. Doesn’t matter how they’re doing in school at the moment or what kind of interests they have. It really doesn’t matter.

Grades can always improve and character can be nurtured, but a parent’s love is unconditional and the child always deserves to know that.

There’s such a big difference in the self-esteem of students who feel safe knowing that their parents are their biggest allies in life, versus the ones who are constantly fearful of having let their parents down.

As teachers, we have this unique data point because we see hundreds of your children every day and the comparison becomes so evident to us.

As Asians, sometimes it can feel awkward to express love so openly. We get it.

Use technology to your advantage then. Send a text message to your child who’s busy on their phone in the other room. A simple “I’m proud of you, son” will go a long way.

You may get ‘blue ticked’ without a reply from them, but we’ve seen the smile on their face when they receive such a text from you.

It lasts a lifetime.