The Cult of the High-Achieving Child

How to Accidentally Destroy Your Kid While Meaning Well

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There’s a certain kind of parent: well-meaning, well-read, and often well-off who treats their child like a marble block to be chiseled. Not you, of course. But you’ve seen them.

The spreadsheet mom who schedules cello, Mandarin, coding camp, and Olympic fencing prep by age six. The dad who frames his son’s kindergarten artwork as early signs of a future architect. Their grip is tighter than love should be.

These are the parents who don’t ask, “Who is this child I’ve been given?” They ask, “How can I alter this raw material into something impressive?”

A medal.

A prodigy.

A personal redemption arc.

You might have been a kid who deserved better treatment.

You might be the parent who really needs to read the cautionary tale below.