January 15, 2021
Feeney contends that parenting has become a competition in which the goal is to beat other people's kids out when it comes to education. Children are inadvertently being raised to conform to the demands of these expectations rather than their own interests. Feeney begins with preschools where parents often enter a lottery before their child is even born to gain a coveted seat. He moves on to sports and kids relying on private coaching, and the over-involvement of parents in monitoring their kids' school work. As for college admission, tutors are hired to boost standardized test scores, fill out forms, and improve personal essays, while teens are pushed into extracurricular activities and volunteering so they look good on their applications. Feeney excels at alerting parents to the madness, but doesn't offer a lot of practical tips for combating it. And while this is addressed to families of means, Feeney's reminder of what family life should be focused on is timely and universal, as is his assurance that every child's future hinges on much more than an Ivy League acceptance.
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