<p>Adad, it's funny that you said that about the emotional energy the parents of vals put forward. That could not be farther from the truth in our house. In fact, (totally true story) when my s was a freshman and had made all A's the first semester, this WAY overly involved mom made a comment to me about how her daughter and my S could be valedictorians together. I laughed and said basically that there was no way in heck :) that my S was going to be the val. If anything, my H and I could be said to be over involved in his athletics. Unlike many on this board, my H and I were so far from being val, that I have conveniently forgotten where I was ranked ;) but I'm sure it was somewhere (hopefully) toward the middle! </p>
<p>I am extremely proud of my s, but trust me, his academic success has come as a huge shock to not only us, but everyone around him. He is much more considered a "jock" at his school than a "brain".</p>