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OK...well...it sounded to me like you had a story along the lines "I know someone who...".
I can see how I could have come across as "bragging" in that thread because of the detail about the top of the reading group. The point though was about the dark-side, namely that he is just not reading despite having the technique down.
I just can't imagine how anybody could get kicks out of bragging in the cyber-world, where only unknown souls would get your message. But some of the articles on mompetition I read was highlighting that some people do just that. One even even made me LOL.
<Is it normal for an 18 months old to do a 100 piece puzzle all while performing brain surgery on our dog?
I am really worried>.
That was funny.
Well, as I see it "bragging" comes in many forms whether online or in "real life" - it doesn't really matter. Some people, may ask for help but really need to put in there that it's not ability that's in question (wouldn't want anyone questioning the genes) because little Bradford III is VERY capable of course...WAY ahead of his peers and all that. It's just hard to see it in ourselves because we all believe that our own situation is different. Or "special" if you will . There are REASONS for our own behavior....so its perfectly justified....certainly not bragging. In other words, it's only "mompetition' when someone else is doing it. Otherwise, it's simply concern for our children's future and wanting to give them the "same competitive edge" that other children might have.
Last edited by maciesmom; 09-23-2012 at 01:14 PM..
I'm just surprised at the insistence of some of the posters here to tie the mompetition stuff to a certain generation, work status, and only to a certain gender. Living vicariously through your kids is not new...there are just new ways to broadcast it. My mom lived vicariously through my sister's life for a while.
Look at people like Papa Joe Kennedy...he lived a pretty full life, but also clearly was living vicariously through his kids. he was born in the late 1800s.
Again, step into a competitive sports league and look at some of the dads. These are all dads with full time jobs. There are dads that will put a second mortgage on the house to give their kid an advantage. There are dads that openly talk about which school district junior would have the best chance at athletically...these people have kids sometimes in first or second grade. Clearly individuals like Tiger Woods dad were living vicariously through their kids.
I disagree people were more civil about things like this. The parents of the girl who married "up" have had bragging rights for much of human history. The mom who was looked upon favorably for having only sons(vs. only daughters) was another way in which people bragged.
Was the character of Harriet Olson in Little House in the Prairie a completely fictional construct....I don't think so.
Lastly, one of the posters in this forum has posted many times in a favorable manner about her child that is gifted, not in a favorable manner about her child that is not gifted. Her words here in this thread don't match the tone of her other postings
The difference is it's now the norm when it didn't used to be the norm. Back when I was a kid, having an average child was actually ok. Today almost every parent wants to think their child is gifted (or special ed...special in some way). It's systemic now.
The difference is it's now the norm when it didn't used to be the norm. Back when I was a kid, having an average child was actually ok. Today almost every parent wants to think their child is gifted (or special ed...special in some way). It's systemic now.
It's not the norm around here. It's pretty rare to bump into one of these moms.
The difference is it's now the norm when it didn't used to be the norm. Back when I was a kid, having an average child was actually ok. Today almost every parent wants to think their child is gifted (or special ed...special in some way). It's systemic now.
Or else you see it from a different perspective now as an adult and teacher, more so than when you were a child/student. Or maybe it just didn't matter in your family. Or perhaps you look for it now.
The difference is it's now the norm when it didn't used to be the norm. Back when I was a kid, having an average child was actually ok. Today almost every parent wants to think their child is gifted (or special ed...special in some way). It's systemic now.
I don't agree with you, that it is that polarized. Academic success was very important where I went to school. Just as it has in past generations, it really depends on the family whether they think having an "average" child is okay.
Regarding the special ed issues, clearly school systems have dropped the ball many times, so I can see cases where the parents feel like they have to strongly advocate for their child.
The difference is it's now the norm when it didn't used to be the norm. Back when I was a kid, having an average child was actually ok. Today almost every parent wants to think their child is gifted (or special ed...special in some way). It's systemic now.
There are a lot of assertions on this thread about "special" being the norm now. Does anyone have any data to support this? I understand we are all influenced by our own anecdotal experience, but I haven't seen anything to suggest that either set of anecdotes is more accurate than the other.
The difference is it's now the norm when it didn't used to be the norm. Back when I was a kid, having an average child was actually ok. Today almost every parent wants to think their child is gifted (or special ed...special in some way). It's systemic now.
College has gotten so outrageously expensive that many parents are desperate for their kids to get scholarships. They do what they need to do to make their kid's transcript look good. Average just ain't going to cut it.
Hmmm... This thread seems to have turned the corner (or begun to circle the drain depending on the reader's point of view) from Mompetitors to yet another lecture about the American middle class.
But just to give the wealthy their due there are definitely Mompetitors among the very wealthy. Indeed there are. But that would toss your theory on why they are Mompetitors out the window. But, yes, the wealthy definitely have Mompetitors. (I've been in their carpool lines at pick-up time and listened to them.)
No1: Who in the world said that this is just the American middle class? I know you would love to switch it again to "syracusa bashes the US" but it's not holding the water).
Have you heard of the Indian and the Chinese middle class? The Russian? Waow. Then I would argue you don't know what you're in for.
I would, in fact, argue that the American middle-class has been much more laid-back about competition until recently (mainly second half of the 20th century) simply because those were overall goods times for MOST Americans and life was, on average, pretty darn good, whether you had shined academically or not.
Times are changing, populations starved for the American type of life-style are arriving here and everywhere, and it is forcing everyone else to get off their butts and defend their cheese (those who had had some cheese in the first place).
Borders have opened everywhere, Globalization is bringing the best, as well as the worst in us, and Americans are no longer exempt from kicking back and knowing, in their heart of hearts, that they live in the most prosperous country in the world, where wealth moe or less trickles down to everyone, hence no need to worry.
No2. Then the ones you've been in carpool line with must not be wealthy enough or not wealthy for a long enough time. It's all psychology.
I can assure you that the laid-back wealthy I am talking about do not sit in carpool lines.
There are a lot of assertions on this thread about "special" being the norm now. Does anyone have any data to support this? I understand we are all influenced by our own anecdotal experience, but I haven't seen anything to suggest that either set of anecdotes is more accurate than the other.
I don't agree that it is the new norm. I think that parents of kids that are "special" are more vocal than they were in past generations, when you weren't supposed to challenge the "experts".
I can assure you that the laid-back wealthy I am talking about do not sit in carpool lines.
How do they get their kids?
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. There are REASONS for our own behavior....so its perfectly justified....certainly not bragging. In other words, it's only "mompetition' when someone else is doing it. Otherwise, it's simply concern for our children's future and wanting to give them the "same competitive edge" that other children might have.
It's all psychology. 
