My friends kid is turning 1. They are geeks (in a good way) and this is super baby! Baby knows sign language and has been potty trained since 6 months….the parents are already planning where he will go to daycare, kindergarten…up through college!
We are trying to decide what gift to get, was going to do a savings bond, but just discovered that is way too difficult for me. Wondering if anyone has any thoughts and suggestions??
I realize the OP was simply a question about a birthday gift, but it reminded me of the many conversations friends and family have had about this topic over the years.
It’s interesting that raising “Super Kids” was a hot topic even when my parents were raising us, and when we were raising our kids–even though the concept was previously referred to as raising “Exceptional Children.”
Attempting to micromanage your children’s destiny is more in vogue now than ever, but I can tell you from what we’ve seen with our kids as well as their friends who are successful, the real winners, regardless of IQ and other cultivated abilities, have turned out to be those who have best learned to cope with the realities of life outside of the nest.
Having read that only around 10% of kids today are actually achieving their desired goals after college, makes it clear that the variables that contribute to creating a successful child may be quite different from common perceptions.
[quote=flyer]
Having read that only around 10% of kids today are actually achieving their desired goals after college, makes it clear that the variables that contribute to creating a successful child may be quite different from common perceptions.[/quote]
Perhaps 90% of kids are not achieving their desired after-college goals due the “my child is exceptional” / “Participation Trophy” mentality common among today’s parents which has inflated their [kids] expectations/goals in life while also decreasing their perception of the amount of hardwork/effort required to obtain these goals. On the flip side, economic conditions are also likely a factor, with 10% reaching their economic goals and the rest falling well short (i.e. shrinking “middle class” buffer between the two extremes).
I had very high expectations for myself; and I didn’t achieve even 1/2 of them. But I’m not sad, bitter or resentful. I’ve learned to be zen and take it in strides. It’s better to have had lofty expectations than low ones.
It’s true that life is a fluid experience, and many things can and do change between the planning phase and execution, but, imo, looking at the stats, the trend of telling kids success is a slam dunk seems nothing short of delusional.
Although we encouraged and supported our kids in everything they did, as they got older, we always leveled with them about what it was going to take for them to get where they wanted to be–especially in the highly competitive fields they chose.
Now, in retrospect, I believe the fact that they took nothing for granted along the way might have been a key factor in helping them attain their ultimate goals.
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