I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but it is simply not acceptable in today’s world to be an average kid. Yes, that’s right, those kids that take up the space in the middle of the mean curve on tests— they no longer exist. In their place, we have schools filled with exceptional children that are going to be doing exceptional academic things with their life. We have fields filled with exceptional children being groomed to play future college/ professional sports. And somehow our society has decided that we need to begin the process of preparing our children for their greatness at a younger and younger age. Parents have decided that it is imperative to involve their children in as many activities as possible to insure their success and achievement in life. If you as a parent choose to ignore this unwritten rule, society has already decided that your children will not be a success.

I have raised two kids with very different personalities, talents, abilities and interests. One child excelled in the classroom, one child did not. One child showed an exceptional talent in art, one did not. One had numerous choices when applying to top universities and one did not. I hate to say this, but one child was quite average while growing up. Funny thing is, I was average also. For whatever reason, I did my excelling as an adult, not SEO as a kid. My parents seemed to think this was just fine and as far as I can tell, things have worked out pretty well.

Every parent wants his or her child to grow up to be successful. Trust me, I desperately want this for my kids, too. But the error in thinking is that exceptional kids will automatically become successful adults. It’s possible that that might not be the way things pan out. Parents also have to keep in mind that average kids don’t necessarily grow up to be average adults. Temperament, social skills and numerous experiences all help shape one’s path in life. In addition, success in life can only be determined by each person’s own definition of success. The bottom line is that there is no guarantee that your exceptional child will grow up to be anymore successful than your average child. So all the moms and dads out there— relax!

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