All parents have expectations for their children. They might wish for their child to grow and be a high achiever in school, have a good job, and maybe get married and have children.





Although there is nothing wrong with communicating these expectations, it seems the secret to getting your child to live up to them is to nag.





A study conducted by researchers at the University of Essex found that the secret to success when it comes to raising kids, especially daughters, is nagging.





The researchers followed more than 1,500 teenaged girls for six years. The results revealed that teenage girls whose moms expected a lot from them and communicated their expectations were likely to succeed. It found that the teens were less likely to become pregnant in their teens, they were more likely to attend college and ultimately earn higher wages once in the workforce.





But should parents really be nagging to get their children to succeed?





ALSO READ: Are you raising your kids the same way your parents raised you?





According to Dr Tebogo Kgole, a Psychologist in Boksburg, nagging is not always the best way to get your child to succeed and might even have a negative effect.





“Nagging doesn’t always produce successful children. It always depends on the child. For some children to succeed, they need motivation and not necessarily nagging. There are some kids who are able to understand when you nag and work with you, but the majority of kids don’t take it well, instead, they retaliate. If you find a child who has a problem with authority, he might have a problem with you nagging and even go off course. They might even perform badly at school just because of the power struggle and to show you they won’t listen to you,” warns Dr Kgole.





She says parents should rather focus on having meaningful, interactive communication with their children and use other means to encourage them to succeed.





“Don’t nag. Make it an interactive communication. When you nag you don’t listen to the child. Rather be interactive and understand your child’s challenges. Kids will be more interested in listening to you because you are showing interest in them,” concludes Dr Kgole.





Do you agree with the study? Share your views in the comments section below.



