Every family has one and every community has their fair share of them - you know the kind and perhaps you’re one yourself - The Annoying Bragger.
While growing up, I remember a couple of aunts, one on each side of my family, who literally spoiled family holidays with their endless bragging. In fact, it made it near impossible to be around their children without that feeling of wanting to puke settling in.
Those cousins were in every sport, every activity and every lesson available within a 25 mile radius.
I never knew the feeling of jealousy for all they were involved in, what I did know was a sense of pity for them. They seemed so wrapped up in leading a life their parents wanted that they never realized what they wanted themselves. To this day, one lives with their parents and has never known a successful, rewarding, long term relationship.
I reckon it’s the fact that I watched those relatives push their kids so hard, that I’ve never wanted to push my own. I encourage my kids to sign up for one sport per season and take the summer off and enjoy participating in 4-H with low key projects.
My kids may not be honor roll students and to be honest, I’ve never wanted to feel pressured to put a bumper sticker on my car that heralds that fact. I wish I had a bumper sticker that said “Proud Parent of an Average Student” - I’d sport that with great pride!
I don’t care if my kid speaks different languages, I don’t care of my kid hates vegetables and fights me every meal to get out of eating them - I could care less if my kid can play a musical instrument or be intelligent enough to make catalyst math or science - and what’s even more, I really don’t care to hear every single holiday that a relative has a three-year-old that’s fluent in French.
My son knows the meaning of every word in the Redneck Dictionary and quite honestly, that’s enough to make this mama proud.
I’d like to credit this mama rant to Competitive Parenting