When parents are involved in their child’s education, it shows.
A new UK study shows that women who believe they control their own destiny and do not leave things to fate are more likely to bring up children who perform well in exams.
These mothers with a stronger belief that they determine their future, tend to take a more “hands-on” approach to parenting in the belief their actions will also impact their child’s life, scientists claim.
This means they often engage their children in intellectually stimulating tasks such as reading and singing, giving them a head start on compared to children bought up by parents who are more fatalistic and less proactive, the researchers concluded.
The impact of mothers feeling personally empowered was seen in the improved exam results of their children.
The study, by the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP), analysed data from more than 10,000 young people and their mothers.
Professor Nattavudh Powdthavee, a senior author of the study, said the results could be explained by the differences in attitudes towards parenting between mothers.
She said:
“Mothers who have a higher perceived sense of control over their life early on tend to believe in a more hands-on approach to parenting.
“This is simply because they strongly believe that their actions will make a difference in their child’s life.
“Consequently, they tend to engage their children in more cognitively stimulating activities such as reading and singing, compared with an average mother.
“This seems to give their children a head start in terms of cognitive development compared with other children.”
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