pressure on kids from parents
Uploaded by sean151011 on Sep 27, 2006
Some parents have an idea of their child before they can even walk. What that child will look like, what sports they will play, even down to what they’re going to be when they grow up. But is this a fair thing to do to America’s youth? I have found every kid raised around me has a weight they carry on their shoulders. The baggage they must carry with them everywhere, which gets heavier and heavier with each passing year. The pressure placed on all kids not just to do well but also to do great, to at some point exceed the expectations rather than meet them. In America there are many pressures for young people to face. Whether or not to drink or do drugs, make friends and do well in school and sports are just a few. But where do these pressures come from? The most obvious answer is their parents.
The first time I remember feeling this pressure was in the third grade. I had just brought home my first official report card and my parents were not happy. According to them a C minus was not a good grade. I was confused, up until then everything I did was greeted with applause. So is this when the pressure starts? At the first report card, or does it happen much earlier? My mom recalls day dreaming about me becoming president or a doctor even a lawyer before I was even born. Is this when it starts, in the womb?
Many parents expect their child to continue with the family business. My friend Joshua’s parents own a small dry cleaners and he can recall practically growing up in this store. Grades and sports never were a priority for his parents; they had decided his destiny before he could speak. He even remembers as a small child hearing his parents argue about what he was to become. As an amazing basketball player Josh had received a scholarship to a big ten school, he remembers fighting with his father about taking the opportunity instead of continuing in the family business. His father had decided that he was to carry on for him without even asking. As soon as he heard the words “it’s a boy!” he began planning Josh’s future, something that would ultimately shatter their relationship and Josh’s spirit years to come.
There was a girl in my high school...