Good week article 88

Sue

needing and so my DD the this

"No, Sweetie, your friends are spoiled and will grow up to be useless, you don't want to be useless, do you?" :)

little

I can understand the jealousy, but don't let it make you feel incompetent! I think that the parent who has the guts to say, "NO," to the endless stream of organized activities should be proud of herself!

There's a joke here about some parents being 30% less stressed, but I'm going to try to hold myself back...

society has my at play on else who

Good for you, those stupid wenches don't know how to have a conversation, that's all. I'd be tempted to say, "Gosh, what with Junior's pre-Ph.D. coursework, and DD's prospects for the 2012 Olympics, we simply don't have time for (sneer) neighborhood soccer." Let them wonder if you're serious...

about every buying an early

The way I figure it, there are quite a few ways to get from here to Washington DC. You can fly, you can take the train, you can drive up through Ohio, or south through Kentucky. You can take the Pennsylvania turnpike, but you might get lost in Delaware. But the point is that all of those different paths, country roads and highways, rivers and railroads, will eventually land you in the same place. So you really ought to take the path that fulfills you and makes you sane, because you'll get there.

My poor sainted mother, I was addicted to caffeine (via breastmilk) for my entire first two years. I slept, literally, 45 minutes at a time. She read to me constantly (because she could do it sitting down which was similar to sleep!) and as a result I could read before I was 3. I was in all the G&T stuff, I was a pretty good pianist and cellist when I could be persuaded to practice. I got ridiculous scores on my SAT's, and so on. But you know what, I also dropped out of college as a sophomore and moved to the Big City to live and work for a while. I was depressed and I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, and I couldn't take the pressures of a big university. Basically, all of those early advantages, all of that giftedness, was a total wash by college. Now, I went back and got my degree (paid for it myself, still paying for it, actually) the hard way, and I am happy now working in a totally different field (went from special ed to rocket science, hee). But seriously, all of that early giftedness was a wash by college, and there are plenty of kids who were objectively not as smart as I was in early high school who are doing way better than I am now.

I dated two guys in high school - one was second in our clbutt. He went on to Yale, wanted to be a doctor... Last I heard from him he was temping as a secretary in our hometown. The other guy had every advantage in the world, rich parents, went to Notre Dame, has a degree in law, pbutted the bar... Last I heard he was living on a friend's couch, and functioning as her kid's nanny. I guess maybe both of them are happy, I'm really not sure. They sure aren't where we thought they'd be...

My point is that early success isn't a predictor for future success. Ask any teacher. They've seen it a hundred times. The best and the brightest end up moving back in with mom and dad for 10 years after college. The kids who had to work at it a little more end up making $70,000 a year right out of college.

So, anyway, don't let it get you down. I think strong roots are what enable kids to grow to be huge successes, and you get those roots at home, not on the soccer field.

Amy