In most things like soccer and hockey, it’s really an adult world with ... adult supervision, and adults tying the skates and ... sitting on the sidelines yelling ‘do better’ ... .
The reality is that sitting down to dinner, that knowing who your mom and dad are, knowing that they really love you for who you are, not for the awards you can put up on the mantelpiece, is far more critical to your future success and survival than is that award.
Having said that, I’m all for ... accomplishments, and I think we do have to urge our children to make something of their lives ... .
But I think that to have it in mind exactly what the child ought to make of their lives and what they have to do to succeed is to rob from them the opportunity to be the authors of their lives rather than living out some script that someone else has written for them.
Alvin Rosenfeld M.D.
HyperParenting.com
Child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist
Listen to the full interview below, and feel free to share your comments.
