Parents Using College Acceptances to Compete

sally305
Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:55:28 +0000

^Agree with this (#108) and 3girls’ comments. People’s reactions to news of someone else’s success or failure are usually more about them than about the person sharing the news. When it’s good news, they instinctively evaluate it relative to their own accomplishments. When it’s bad news, they are just relieved it’s not them.

It can get awkward when someone gets their “comeuppance” after years of bragging. I will admit to a bit of smug self-satisfaction when the child of the braggadocious friend I mentioned a few pages back got kicked out of the SAT for cheating. Of course the parents had a ready excuse, just as they did when the same child got suspended for sneaking alcohol into a football game.