Elephant parents associate success with their child's emotional development. Dialogue and mutual help are at the heart of their upbringing. This model encourages the child to express his sensitivity.
After focusing on the parents of tigers, jellyfish, helicopters or even dolphins, we dedicate this analysis to the elephant parenting model. He has one thing in common with the dolphin and the jellyfish: for him, the well-being of the child comes first. This term appeared in The Atlantic magazine in 2014 and was coined by US-based journalist of Indian origin Priyanka Sharma-Sindhar. What is this educational model inspired by, how is it recognized and what are its limitations?
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Tiger parents: what does this method of education consist of?
Education that is truly inspired by elephants
Some have noticed in animal reports or at the zoo that elephants are very protective mothers towards their offspring. This educational model is therefore directly inspired by pachyderms who deeply support their children. Elephant parents would rather have a happy and emotionally stable child than one who succeeds in school or in extracurricular activities. People who practice this educational method encourage the expression of sensitivity in their children. An elephant parent will be a source of warmth, comfort, empathy and encouragement to their offspring. The idea is not to make decisions for him and be overly protective of him, but to be a great support to him in difficult times.
How do you recognize a parent elephant?
An elephant parent puts dialogue at the center of his upbringing. He is attentive and caring, never judgmental or accusatory. His job is not to pressure his child or encourage him to be the best in everything he does, but rather to teach him to have confidence and thrive emotionally. An elephant parent supports his child through all the challenges of his life and reminds him how much he loves him and that it is normal to need help sometimes.
What are the limits of this pedagogical method?
If this parenting method is based more on a healthy model and allows for the creation of a strong and resilient parent-child bond, it reaches its limits because children cannot keep up with the harsh realities of life. If they are overprotective, they may find it difficult to overcome certain challenges or miss opportunities to learn from their mistakes.
Marjorie RAYNAUD for TF1 INFO