<p>Fact is, even great kids are uneven in some respects, and can't be bragged about at all times. It's probably healthier that way. ;)</p>
<p>Mathmom, I might sound cruel, but if I was a parent, all I'd care about is how my own kids are doing. Of course children are important to their parents. However, the operative word is their. Children may be important to their own parents, but I'd hardly say that they are important to the parents of other children. After all, isn't taking care of your own kids enough work? It would only be worse if you worried about every child you knew.</p>
<p>If other parents were to have a sensible reason to mention their children to me, such as "my child is struggling in school, do you have any idea as to what I should do," I'd be glad to listen. However, if all a parent wants to say is how high their child's SAT score is or how much of a class clown he/she is, I could care less.</p>
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but if I were a parent
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<p>Ah. Now I understand. You won't get the whole parent thing until you are one. Trust me on this.</p>
<p>Yes, I'm guilty of bragging about my kids. And their friends. And anyone else I hear about who does something cool (like that kid on the local news today who ran back into his burning house to save his little sister -- c'mon how awesome is that, and he was wearing a Superman t-shirt!). See, I did it again. For me it's what you brag about. I just received the first quarter comments about my kids and what stood out for me was my daughter's P.E. teacher saying how my daughter stands up for the girls in class and those who may not be the best athletes (since the boys make a show of not picking them or including them in the games). Yeah, for me that's something to brag about. Oops, did it again. I agree bragging if it is used to make comparisons or to make someone feel insignificant is wrong, and I don't see the point in bragging about grades and test scores (what do those truly tell you about anyone on a meaningful level), but if you're proud and should be, there shouldn't be anything wrong in sharing.</p>
<p>I may not be a parent, but I have a sister that is much younger than me, so I have an idea of what to expect. It may not be the same, but I feel that I have more of a sense of what my patriarchal duties will be than most people my age. </p>
<p>I am also opposed to bragging in general because I have had plenty of experience with it. I am in the so-called "smart-class" at my school and several of my classmates enjoy openly praising their intellignece. It really bothers me when I hear this, especially since our class is constantly held in high esteem. Arrogance is such a childish emotion in my opinion. It is one thing to hear a couple of 2nd graders boasting about their pokemon cards. However, it is really sad to see college-bound seniors bragging about SAT scores and grades. These things are personal achievements and should be
appreciated privately.</p>
<p>"I may not be a parent, but I have a sister that is much younger than me, so I have an idea of what to expect. It may not be the same, but I feel that I have more of a sense of what my patriarchal duties will be than most people my age. "</p>
<p>My son has a younger sister too. He knows nothing about patriarchal duties based on that experience. In fact, we got him a puppy and he failed as a patriarch with that experiment. Do you have to feed kids and put them out? If so, my future grandkids could be in big trouble! :)</p>
<p>P.S. For Hepstar's benefit: He got awesome SAT scores.........</p>
<p>I usually only brag about my kids to immediate family because I know that they get great pleasure out of hearing about them. </p>
<p>However, I love to ask my clients about their kids and grandkids… and see their face light up and their mood change (in my line of work, many are not thrilled to see me). People are flattered and most know not to go on too long about it. I also get a few of those family Christmas letters and get a kick out of reading them.</p>
<p>You certainly have to feed kids and depending on the circumstances, you might have to put them out. I'm going to blur the line between my side of the argument and everyone else's side of the argument buy speaking about my sister. I love her and will always watch out for her, but she can be quite annoying. She is only in kindergarten, but she is already very irritating. She has done many evil things, things that I won't bother discussing. The worst part is, no one outside of my household sees this side of her. She acts like the perfect little angel in school, but once she comes home, she turns into a different person. When we say how bad she is, everyone thinks we're nuts.
It is only going to get worse as she gets older. Dealing with her has prepared me for the worst when it comes to children. Even my own parents concede that she has been the most difficult of their 3 children to deal with by far.</p>
<p>PS: Thanks for the appreciation 1sokkermom :). If your child is going to take the SAT, I highly recommend the Princeton Review's Cracking the SAT book. It is a good alternative to a prep class that could cost you hundreds of dollars.</p>
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Children may be important to their own parents, but I'd hardly say that they are important to the parents of other children. After all, isn't taking care of your own kids enough work? It would only be worse if you worried about every child you knew.
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<p>Actually I care very much about my friends' kids. I was thrilled when my best friend's oldest got a 1600 (old style) SAT score, particularly since I also knew he had a very motley school record. I know most of my friends kids bad news that I am more than happy to hear when there's good news.</p>
<p>Hepstar, my kids were always much better behaved in school than they were at home. For a little kid, perhaps a naturally active and mischieveous one, being good all day at school is a big strain and they fall apart when they come home. Don't lose hope for her, she's still very young. My kids were both rather aggravating at five.</p>
<p>It may just be me, but I find it pretentious for someone to tell you that their child had a perfect SAT score. Maybe you inquired about the SAT and he/she gave you that answer. However, it would be a bit rude in my opinion for someone to say "My kid got a perfect score" right to your face without any qualms about how it would make you feel, especially if he/she brought up the subject of SATs. I think it would be pretty hard for someone not to be offended by something like this, especially if your child didn't do so well. I know I feel a bit set back when a parent talks about a kid that is academically superior to myself. It is not like it was even their achievement either, although they'd like to make you think was.</p>
<p>Nope, I was very happy for her. She didn't tell everyone, but she did tell people she knew would get a kick out of it. Her son isn't academically superior to my son, but he did score better on the SAT. No big deal.</p>
<p>Hepstar, you are wiser than many of the parents posting here. You will make a great parent. I have found that in general, the more a parent brags about their kid, the less of life they lead themselves. You must make sure you tell your S or D how proud you are of them directly. As I have told my son many times, you will be the one with the decal on your car window, not me, but I will enjoy your success, not live through it myself.</p>
<p>Mathmom, you really have no clue about my sister's personality. It isn't your fault, you haven't met her. She is like an evil genius. She was correcting double negatives in people's speech when she was 3 years old, before she was even toilet trained. She also makes her own refrigerator magnets (Please don't ask how. If you want to know, I'll PM you). One time, she even arranged band-aids on a piece of paper so they spell out her name. However, she has done many bad things. She doesn't even me let me look in her direction most of the time. If I do, she'll try to hit me. Whenever she sees someone sitting down, she'll beg for the seat and get it, yet she won't sit in it. When the unfortunate victim relocates to another seat, she just repeats the same process. She obviously does this to annoy you, not out of desire for the seat. Any for of discipline never seems to work. This just a mere microcosm for what she does in a typical day. Luckily, I can use CC to vent a few of my many frustrations.</p>
<p>Thank you Barno for seeing where I'm coming from. I may not be a parent yet, but I do know what being a virtuous person entails. It certainly doesn't entail bragging. Any pride you feel of your children should be kept between you and them, not shared with your neighbors, friends, or other acquaintances.</p>
<p>uggh, hepstar.
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I may not be a parent yet, but I do know what being a virtuous person entails. It certainly doesn't entail bragging. Any pride you feel of your children should be kept between you and them, not shared with your neighbors, friends, or other acquaintances.
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Don't be coming on here and telling the parents the Law According to Hepstar. It doesn't go over well. Some advice, humility would be an attribute you should consider for yourself.</p>
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You sure seemed to like the braggin' when it was about you! Jiminy. ;)</p>
<p>I'm not bragging, I'm just thanking someone for a positive comment. There's a difference and you know it. I would really appreciate it if you would stop trying to pick fights, especially with a "child."</p>
<p>^^Hepstar, if you are going to come to the Parents board and criticize the parents, you can't then turn around and hide behind being a child. If the water is too deep here, you better head back to the wading pool.</p>
<p>Hepstar, that wasn't "picking a fight". You'll know the difference if it happens. </p>
<p>The smiley face showed you were having a moment of pride, didn't it? It's O.K..</p>
<p>And BTW, part of the discussion was about people braggin' on kids that weren't their own. Therefore, it's fair game. ;)</p>
<p>I'm beginning to think Hepstar is a troll. This is not the only parent thread he is on.</p>