Leaving a child to fight his battles alone is more likely to lead to feelings of abandonment, fear, depression, mistrust, low grades, and eventually, emotional or physical drop-out. In chapter 6, Emotional Security, Ms. Youngs presents a brief but fairly comprehensive picture of the emotional development of children from ages two through eighteen. This information, summarized below, should be very helpful for those parents struggling with the question of whether or not to seek grade-advancement for their child. Growing sense of self as a separate person. Works to develop assertiveness which leads to independence.
Curiosity is an important part of learning.
Forerunner to responsibility and motivation. Developing conscience leads child to want to please and to want to be near parents and other significant adults. Self at center of child's world. It is very important at this stage that the child be allowed to discover own interests and work to understand them. Mastery of social and physical skills is an important indicator of this stage.