When my child was in middle school my husband took a select group of kids to a European sports tournament. He’d done it with my older child and the trip was such a success that we had kids from many highly selective club teams clamoring to be included. One of the kids in my daughter’s class was a real superstar in the sport. This year she was named All-Ivy as a freshman.
Unfortunately this kid’s mother was such an unkind and ruthless promoter of her child that a number of the families of the most talented kids already signed up for the trip blackballed the family. Even if this kid could have helped the team win no one could stand the idea of spending 10 days with the mother. The daughter missed out on an unforgettable experience because of parental behavior.