articles

New York Times, April 1, 2007

I read this article from the NY Times over the weekend. The girls seeking “perfection” are living the life of an adult before they even turn eighteen. As a teenager my parents gave me the freedom to be a young adult. My dad always said, “ I don’t care what you do, I only ask that you graduate college.” Once I got into college, he said, “ I don’t care if you get married the day you graduate, but I only ask you have your diploma in hand first.” My parents never put me in a position to only be number one. They were okay with number two, three, or four. The girls referenced in the article are achieving and learning things under enormous stress and pressure. Number one is their track record. The ultimate goal is to get into an ivy league school, get the best job, live in the best neighborhood, and give their children the very best. I do not think having or being perfect is a bad thing. You can strive to be perfect but perfection doesn’t equal happiness. I simply want to be happy with life. Happy is my success.

My favorite quote from the article: “The bar for achievement keeps being raised for each generation, he said: “Our children start where we finished.”