Expectativas parentales ante el fracaso escolar de los hijos: duelo, afrontamiento y dinámicas familiares de alta exigencia

The present study aimed to analyze parental grief and coping in response to children’s school failure within high-demand parenting. A qualitative, descriptive approach with a narrative design was used. Case-type sampling was used to select mothers and fathers characterized by exercising parenting centered on high demands and expectations. Information was obtained through interviews and analyzed using Thematic Analysis, allowing the identification of six themes: parental involvement in schoolwork, maternal centrality in parenting and education, idealization of filial success, maternal vicarious success, intolerance of the loss of excellence, and resistance to grief over filial failure. It was concluded that some mothers perceive their children’s performance as their own success or failure and that high expectations were associated with anger, frustration, sadness, and disappointment in response to unexpected results, as well as with difficulties in accepting grief over the loss of the idealized image of the son.