The last time I checked in with psychologist and school consultant Michael Thompson, “Tiger Mom” was making headlines for how she drove her children to succeed. Thompson gave us memorable vignettes from the front lines, including “You know you’re an extreme parent if you imagine that your child is going to play professional sports even though no coach has predicted this outcome.” And, “You know you’re an extreme parent if you have your child take 30 practice SAT exams before the actual test.”
Extreme parents don’t necessarily take a break over the summer.
Some of us parents have children who at this very moment may be home-sick at sleep-away camp. Michael Thompson’s heart bleeds for them. But the bleeding stops when he thinks about the “developmental leaps” so many children make at summer camp, having challenged themselves in ways they don’t when their parents are around.