Proud Parenting

It's only natural for parents to be proud of our kids. After all, we love them and they're an important part of our lives.

But some parents carry pride to an extreme, and that's not good.

Once when I was a substitute teacher at a Kindergarten class in a prestigious neighborhood as the kids were lining up to go inside at least ten parents pulled me aside individually. Each one told me his or her child was the smartest one in the class and deserved special attention. None of their kids were any better than the average kids in other schools where I'd taught.

And we've all heard about the soccer moms and dads who drive the coaches crazy by trying to be sure their children are treated like stars.

As the children of parents like that get older, sometimes the pressure is on for them to get into the best colleges, and prepare for careers the parents have chosen without regard for the kids' own interests and talents. Of course all kids need some pushing to do well in school and we all want our children to have happy lives as adults, but sometimes what the parents choose for their sons and daughters is based more on impressing others than the kids' own interests and abilities.

I wish all parents would remember that children are not status symbols.