Success

     It's basic human nature, to strive for achievement. For some of us, it's all we strive for.  In today's society we are constantly being pushed to be the best at everything we do.  Competition is everywhere, in sports, school, and basically every aspect of daily life.  Everyday we are searching for something that will set us apart from everyone else, to put us that much further ahead of those we are competing against.  But the unfortunate thing is: sometimes we don't even know what we are competing for.  In all truthfulness though, the blame for this generation's obsession with success can all be blamed on parents. They may have the best intentions, what parent doesn't want their child to succeed?  But sadly it seems that what they are doing when they are pushing us to be the best, is living through us. 
     This was a conversation brought up quite some time ago in communications class.  We arranged our chairs in something resembling a...  well it certainly couldn't be called a circle.  Some people had parents that certainly fit the definition of living through their child but some surprisingly couldn't care less about if their child was in the top 10% of the class or was going to an ivy league college.  But the main trend I have noticed in honors students like myself is simple.

It starts with an instrument, at a young age preferably.  Typically it's piano.  They want us to be the next musical prodigy before we turn 7. Anything to get the attention of colleges or prestigious boarding schools.

 

Then its on to sports.  This is a path my parents were relentless on.  Basketball, gymnastics, volleyball, tennis, swimming, diving, and nearly every other sport that could result in success.  Lets be frank though, I sucked at them all, I was somewhat decent at volleyball and diving but everything else was like my worst nightmare.  Except for swimming.  I loved that, I wasn't the fastest but I was still pretty good at it and won a few ribbons for  it when I was younger.

But then there is academics.  You cant have the perfect child unless their unnaturally smart.  Drilling the child with math problems until their brain goes numb and they are dreaming of the multiplication times table.

(credit for this picture goes to the original photographer)

Then finally the last part to creating the perfect child is throwing in a little something unexpected.  Something that is way above and beyond every other insane parent's child.  Something that the competition cant say they have done or accomplished. Something that makes them the-

    And there you go, all of the ingredients necessary to create the perfect child.  But if my opinion means anything I would like to add something else, something that truthfully maybe the most important. Determination.  Not the parent's, the child's.  They have to want it more then the parents do.  This is something that I believe is wrongly overlooked when parents try to create their perfect child.  So La veritá della vita: Parents are crazy, but make sure that what your doing, what success you are trying to accomplish is born from your own determination.  Do what you want to do and achieve success in something you love, or else, it is only success in the eyes of your parents.