What is success? For some, it is getting a good grade in school; for others, becoming rich, getting famous, or having an average life.
Hard work, not talent, makes someone a genius. A hard-working person can outperform talented people in the long run.
Parents force to study because, in the modern world, education is the way to get a high-paying job and live a stress-free life. Moreover, it also relates to higher societal status for parents and kids.
Education is modern societal backbone:
In the modern world, it’s tough to get a decent job without even a college education. Parents want a better future for their children. They want their kids to succeed in life.
Any high-paying job in the current world requires high education with excellent grades. Doctors, engineers, scientists, teachers, government jobs, everything needs an education certificate. These certificates and grades aren’t merely a piece of paper, but it is proof of one’s hard work, dedication, merit, cognitive skill, and determination.
Every step of a student’s education depends on previous levels of grades. It is impossible to get into a good university with a 3.0 GPA when their minimum GPA for application is 3.20. Don’t get it wrong, but it would be tough to land a high-paying job with a poor GPA from a not-so-renowned university.
Unfortunately, nowadays, a minimum job would not get a person anywhere. It’s impossible to live a sustainable life with the money most jobs pay. Housing, car payment, health insurance, food, gasoline, taxes, etc., is so expensive, everyone needs decently high-paying jobs. And every high-paying job requires a higher education.
Most renowned companies such as Tesla, SpaceX, Apple, Google, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, etc., would ask for a bachelor’s degree. Sometimes, they won’t even call you for an interview without a degree from a renowned university.
However, jobs are not the only way to earn money. Business is the number one way to make money and become rich. Even the jobs are nothing but helping others with their business to earn more money for the business owner.
Starting a business is not easy. It not only requires capital, but it also needs experience, knowledge, hard work, and patience. No banks or investors would invest in one’s idea. All the news and stories of successful business owners with college dropouts are outliers. However, these news organizations don’t report on numerous other businesses that failed at the same time.
Without a good education, a child may face many problems in life. It’s why parents urge their kids to study.
Generational Life Cycle:
Every human in society goes through the same life cycle. Birth, growing up, taking jobs, marrying, getting kids, raising kids, getting old, retiring, and finally dying. Every nation and society in the world revolves around this cycle.
From adult life until humans die, money is the most critical tool. It’s impossible in modern society to live without money. Apart from business and self-employment, a job is a sure way to earn money. Education is nothing but training that prepares a human for the job market.
ACT, GRE, PSAT, SAT, and all other exam scores somewhat affect where you can study. However, it doesn’t test whether a student is committed to his study or not. When an employee enters the job market, no one cares about GPA anymore except for experience.
Education somewhat but not entirely determines the future. Hard work, skills, effort, and determination define the future. Education doesn’t define a human.
Forcing someone to do something isn’t the best way to achieve a result. What works for others may not work for everyone. Some students study less but always get a good grade, and some study all day still fail to pass marks. Many parents may not be aware of mental health. Because of this, they may force their kids to study.
Education is Social Status:
In modern society, education is equal to social status. Everywhere, a higher degree holder is treated with respect. People tend to ignore those who don’t have money or higher education. It’s unfair, but it is how everything works in society. People don’t see two persons with a Ph.D. and one with an associate degree with equal status.
Societal belief is that a highly educated person is more intelligent. However, it’s a false assumption. A person can hold multiple Ph.D. but still can be an idiot.
Education has nothing to do with being honest and ethical. For example, the drug companies paid the highest fines in the USA for unethical business practices. Drug companies created the opioid crisis in America. However, most educated and talented people work in the medical sector. Their education didn’t prevent them from being unethical and greedy.
There are millions of people with decent education who have higher moral standards than most company executives.
Money can propel a person to a highly respectable position in society. However, studying is the way to get a good job, earn money, and earn respect in the community.
Parents know all of this from their life experiences. It’s why they force their children to study if they think their child is not studying enough.
Parental Success:
Parents perceive a child’s success as their success. And a child’s failure as their failure. Moreover, parents act because of peer pressure from neighbors, relatives, and colleagues. Those who have money brag about it, those who are beautiful brag about their beauty, and those with a child with good grades, brag about it.
Parents don’t want to see them as a failure who failed to raise a good kid.
Most parents socialize with other parents and listen to what other children are studying. If other children are doing well in school or college, parents want to implement the same studying behavior of the successful students for their kids.
Moreover, a degree opens countless doors for future success and a happy free life. Without a good education, getting a decent job is tough. The constant struggle of living in poverty is mind-boggling. Not always, but education is the shortcut for a decent life most of the time. It’s why parents insist on their kids to study more.
Parents believe children are wasting time:
Studying is mentally taxing work. It’s not easy. Moreover, not everyone’s concentration level is the same. Some can study for several hours whereas some can’t continue for 30 minutes.
Everyone needs a break. However, a child’s break, like playing video games, reading books, and listening to music, is perceived by parents as a waste of time.
Parents are controlling. They want to raise their offspring according to their plan. Parents who don’t read fiction may perceive reading books as unnecessary. Some religious parents deem music as a bad influence. Therefore, they may ask their child not to listen to music.
If a child is not getting a good grade, parents’ first response and intuition are that their children didn’t get a good grade because the kids didn’t study hard enough. If the child fails to get an expected grade in one subject, the parents will insist on studying hard.
No two children are equal. Some can understand quickly, some need time. Some can memorize various facts quickly; others can’t memorize facts at all. However, many parents don’t try to understand the limitations of their children. They expect their child will perform similarly to other successful students. In a family, parents work and provide, and they believe the child’s only duty is to study. It’s why parents force their children to study.