I am  amazed, astounded and shocked at the number of parents who compete with their children.  Yes I do mean in the competitive way.  I just find this so incredible that as adults some parents think that they need to compete with their children.   I guess the reasons will be different for different parents but likely the issue will be around control, being superior or better than their children.  Many parents will probably not  what they are doing.  It could be on the squash court where a parent has to win every time or it might be about weight, a parent may comment “I see you’ve put on some weight”.  Or it could be commenting on their abilities “at your age I was ….”  inferring that the parent was further ahead, more capable, more intelligent etc.

Children have enough to contend with growing up in this global world where social pressure is huge let alone to have to compete with their own parents.  If this goes on long enough some children will ask Why bother?  Why should I strive for success when my parent will always be better than me?   Fair enough!  So parents please just love your children, support them in whatever they need, create good boundaries and love unconditionally.  By using positive parenting children will be able to develop a good sense of self and self-esteem.