Really Good Quote:

Children do best when they are allowed to unfold at their own speed rather than being forced to adapt to their parents'expecations for achivement. Following this principle will help a child's true self flourish and greatly reduce the risks of a "false self"outcome. Holding back the excessive applause is equally important, as the perpetual cheerleading only highlights for the child the need to adapt to the parents' hopes and expecations for outstanding behavior, as children typically do want to please their parents and see that reflected in their parents' joy. If we can come to see more clearly our children's genuine need for a less pressured trajectory through childhoold, then children will be relased from the syndrome of worry that their parents will not respect them if they do not make it to the top and the constant pressure that they must always be the best, never having a failure, never being out of sorts. . . .
. . . We need to push our children less, allow them to play more, applaud them less, and allow them to do more on their own while at the same contributing in more to others.
-- Spoiling Childhood: How Well-Meaning Parents are Giving Children Too Much -- But Not What they Need by Diane Ehrensaft