Dear Mom,
You need to back off from pushing your daughter because it is very unhealthy. Here’s why.
Encouraging children to have high standards and to work hard are important for parents to do but what you are doing goes beyond that. And – it is not healthy for either you or your daughter.
First, you are parenting from guilt, not strength.
Guilt tells you that you should feel sorry for her because she is an only child. This is ridiculous. She knows you feel sorry for her and thinks that something is wrong with her life. Stop this. Many children grow up without siblings and are very happy and well adjusted.
Second, insisting that your daughter excels at everything communicates one thing loudly and clearly: what I value most about you is how well you perform.
Is that something that you really want to teach her? I assume not. What your daughter needs to know from you is that you love and accept her no matter how well she does at anything! In other words, if she came home and decided to sit in a closet the rest of her life, would you still love her the same?
