Even though your child has a support system at school who helps them succeed, he or she still needs the assistance of you–the parents. Actively involved parents cheer their pupil on and help him or her to overcome challenges. However, despite good intentions, you may be holding your child back. 

1. Always Bailing Your Child Out

You may have a strong desire for your child to succeed, which is a positive, but there's only so much you should do to help. For instance, you shouldn't go above and beyond and tell your child the answers rather than helping them to find the solution on their own and letting them get it wrong if they can't figure it out. Your child needs you to push them in finding the answer on their own, whether it's wrong or right. Sometimes, your kid must fail to learn the harsh reality of life– failure happens and to learn from it and move on. 

2. Judging Them Based on Grades Alone

Don't judge your child's intellectual ability just by grades. Sometimes, the brightest of individuals don't fit the mold of a traditional classroom.  Don't put your child down and consider him or her as not smart because of academic performance only. Instead, encourage your child to his or her best and help in any way you can. Always focus on your child's strengthens rather than condemn his or her weaknesses. Montessori schools are designed to take learning outside of the books and allow kids to learn under an individualized approach. Schools like St. John's give your child the ability to demonstrate intelligence in a unique manner. 

3. Protecting Them from Risk 

You're not doing your child any favors by preventing them from taking risks. They'll never know exactly what they can do and how strong they can be when you tell them to always play it safe. Encourage them to take risks (that are not putting them in danger) and learn from trial and error. 

5. Over Praising Them 

Avoid over praising your child. Although they need compliments and positive reinforcement, they need to understand not everything they do is outstanding. They need to understand the reality of life is more than just the positive; people will put them down and aren't always going to praise everything they do. Make sure you praise them for the exceptional job they do when it warrants it, but over doing it can have negative effects. 

6. Praising Without Punishment 

The praise becomes redundant. Ignoring the negative may cause a spiral of unwanted behaviors to surface.