I Knew It All Along,

I KNEW IT ALL ALONG, IT’S MY PARENT’S FAULT!

Everybody performs better when they are calm and stress free. When people are put in situations of high stress, high pressure, or high anxiety, their brains tend to “lock up” and their performance is negatively affected.

Children are sensitive creatures, and they have a keen ability to detect elevated levels of stress and anxiety in adults, especially their parents. When Mom and Dad are worried about something, kids perceive that nervousness displayed in their parents’ emotions, body language, words, and general demeanor.

A recent study reveals that parents’ math anxiety often contributes to their child’s math anxiety and can also undermine the child's achievement in math. The researchers believe that the link between the parent’s and child’s math anxiety stems more from math attitudes than genetics.

It’s fascinating (and a little scary) how people can have such powerful influences on each other, especially when it is unintended (and undesired).

Here are two articles about the study:

Parents’ Math Anxiety Can Undermine Children’s Math Achievement

How Parents Give Their Kids Math Anxiety