Pushy mothers make their daughters more successful

[Ck]

Women's success in life depends on how high their mother's expectations are a 30year study has shown.

Those whose mothers had high hopes for them will feel more in control of their lives by the age of 30.

But the maternal influence is only important for women - not men, according to new research.

Psychologist Dr Eirini Flouri and colleagues analysed information from a study of children born in 1970.

When the children were aged ten their mothers were asked to predict the age at which their child would leave school. The question was chosen to show the mother's belief in the capabilities of her daughter.

Dr Flouri, whose findings are published in the Journal of Educational Psychology and reported in the New Scientist, then compared this information with an assessment of the children's self-confidence when they were thirty.

It found that women's self esteem was linked to their mother's belief in them, even when factors such as the children's intellectual ability and their parents' wealth were taken into account.

It is thought that mothers are more likely to push their daughters rather than their sons.

However the daughter's earnings showed no link to their mother's expectations.

Dr Flouri, of the University of London's Institute of Education, said that belief in a child's abilities is "just one aspect" of parenting.

Britney Spears' mother has been accused of being a pushy mum and driving her career, starting when the star had her big break on Disney's Mickey Mouse Club when she was 12 years old.

The 26-year-old is now ranked as the eighth best-selling female recording artist in the US, to the Recording Industry Association of America.

Maria Church oversaw daughter Charlotte's classical singing career since she found fame when she was 11.

source

[Alpha]

Or suicidal.

[timey]

This could be said of anyone though. I needed a kick up the arse from my Dad to get me going in life. I think we all need a bit of motivation from our parents to spur us on and our self esteem can be affected by them likewise.

[Ck]

My mum's a perfectionist and a workaholic, my dad looks for the quickest easiest way of doing things even if it's only a temporary solution. I can't remember either of them pushing me in any direction to do anything except to get a job, any job.

I remember really clearly the day I officially left school. I had it in my head that I'd take a week out to chill before job hunting, my dad had a different idea. He woke me at 7:30 the next morning, gave me a copy of the yellow pages and some paper and envelopes told me to flick through applying for jobs ringing or writing to them. From the yellow pages!

[Autumn_Breeze]

What age were you?

My parents didn't push me to do anything, so I felt very lost and didn't know how to go about things. I went through my teens sorta unnoticed because my mum was preoccupied with my two older sisters who were going off the rails a bit. I couldn't make my mind up what I wanted or should do because they gave me no direction. I left school, started a job, left that, went back to school, left school, started another job - all in two months.

So yeah, I do think it's important for parents to push to some extent at least.

[timey]

My parents didn't really push me either, but I needed to be given "incentive" to get my arse out of the house and doing something. TBH, they weren't really that encouraging of any of my interests, and I know for a fact that I would have been doing very different work if I had followed my passions.

[Ck]

I was sixteen, just.

There was no real talk about me going on to further education, although I did get taken to the air force recruitment drive My parents left school and went on to do catering in college then both got jobs at the hospital in the kitchens - that's how they met. I didn't know what I wanted to do at all, the careers officer just kept suggesting I worked in a bank for some unknown reason, I just wanted to doss about with my mates.

Dad just said that I had to get a job, that was all the advice I got. Get a job or you're not living here. It's quite surprising really as he was only in his early 30's at the time. I don't really think they knew what was out there.

I kinda expect the boy will go on to further education and then uni but the difference between my parents and me is that going to uni now is kind of the norm and so i've made provisions so that he'll be ok financially. That wasn't an option for me back then.

Do they have uni's in France? What's the norm further ed wise over there?

[Ck]

Originally Posted by timey

My parents didn't really push me either, but I needed to be given "incentive" to get my arse out of the house and doing something. TBH, they weren't really that encouraging of any of my interests, and I know for a fact that I would have been doing very different work if I had followed my passions.

What would you have liked to have done?

[timey]

Originally Posted by Ck

What would you have liked to have done?

I wanted to do something involving geography as I have always been into maps and things.

[Ck]

Originally Posted by timey

I wanted to do something involving geography as I have always been into maps and things.

Of course.

I don't suppose there are many jobs in that field going on your doorstep.

When I left school not many of us travelled far to follow our dreams like many kids do now. Although one girl I knew went off to work for shell oil (I think it was that) she was fluent in Japanese and a couple of others ended up being doctors in America.