How one family fought the myth that you have to destroy childhood to raise extraordinary adults.
What does a “successful” child look like?
If you imagined a straight-A-earning, classical-music-playing, rule-following, Ivy-bound prodigy, you’re not alone.
This is what I thought what my kid should look like, too. I was determined to raise my child in this image, no matter the cost. After all, I was one of those kids (Columbia U). The traditional path to success sure worked for me.
I was a Tiger Mother.
But then life intervened in ways I couldn’t have imagined. I was faced with two choices: impose my will no matter the trauma. Or, take a frightening, uncharted path—
—to where?
A sub-standard child, unable to succeed on the level I had?
Did letting up mean letting my child down?
Answering these questions took my family on a fascinating journey. What looked and felt like failure after failure on adult terms led to a different kind of success: mad creativity, fierce independence, and relentless self-direction.
In other words, everything an adult needs to make it in today’s world.
So what does a successful child look like?
She looks like my child. And if you consider a similar path by relaxing, backing off, letting up, and settling down, she (or he) just might look a lot like yours.
Click here for an excerpt.
