Every family has one and every community has their fair share of them - you know the kind and perhaps you’re one yourself - The Annoying Bragger.
While growing up, I remember a couple of aunts, one on each side of my family, who literally spoiled family holidays with their endless bragging. In fact, it made it near impossible to be around their children without that feeling of wanting to puke settling in.
Those cousins were in every sport, every activity and every lesson available within a 25 mile radius.
I never knew the feeling of jealousy for all they were involved in, what I did know was a sense of pity for them. They seemed so wrapped up in leading a life their parents wanted that they never realized what they wanted themselves. To this day, one lives with their parents and has never known a successful, rewarding, long term relationship.
I reckon it’s the fact that I watched those relatives push their kids so hard, that I’ve never wanted to push my own. I encourage my kids to sign up for one sport per season and take the summer off and enjoy participating in 4-H with low key projects.
My kids may not be honor roll students and to be honest, I’ve never wanted to feel pressured to put a bumper sticker on my car that heralds that fact. I wish I had a bumper sticker that said “Proud Parent of an Average Student” - I’d sport that with great pride!
I don’t care if my kid speaks different languages, I don’t care of my kid hates vegetables and fights me every meal to get out of eating them - I could care less if my kid can play a musical instrument or be intelligent enough to make catalyst math or science - and what’s even more, I really don’t care to hear every single holiday that a relative has a three-year-old that’s fluent in French.
My son knows the meaning of every word in the Redneck Dictionary and quite honestly, that’s enough to make this mama proud.
I’d like to credit this mama rant to Competitive Parenting
译文:
自吹自擂的权利—让你鼓励孩子不断前进
每一个家庭都有这样一种人，而且每个社会也都会有这样的人。你知道这类型的人并且也许你自己就是这样的一个人。一个令人讨厌的爱吹牛鬼。
在我成长过程中，我记得有两个个阿姨，一个是爸爸这边的亲戚，一个是妈妈那边的亲戚，她们滔滔不绝的吹嘘言语破坏了家庭的聚会。事实上，这两个阿姨几乎每一次和她们的孩子在一起时，就想要开始吹牛了。
那些表兄妹们辐射状似得分散在周围25里的范围内，玩耍，参与各种活动和学习。
我以前从来不知道我嫉妒的感觉是因为他们那样生活，那时我觉得那只是对他们的一种同情。他们好像是被裹住，过着一个由父母引导的，也是他们父母想要的生活，而他们并没有认识到什么是他们自己想要的。那样的日子，一个人和父母住在一起，不会明白一种成功的有意义的长期的关系。
我觉得，那是一个事实，我看到那些亲戚努力地培养他们的孩子，而我还未曾想要那样培养我自己的孩子。我鼓励我的孩子每一季都报名参加一个活动，让孩子在夏天休假，也在参加初级的4-H重点项目培训中玩得开心。
我的孩子也许不是很优秀的学生，但是坦白地说，我从没有感到有压力而将一个缓冲器安装上我的车，那就是预示着那种事实的出现。我希望我有一个写着“普通学生的自豪的父（母）亲”的缓冲器。我会骄傲地炫耀它。
我不在乎我的孩子是否能讲不同的语言，我不在乎我的孩子讨厌青菜并在每一顿饭时都和我作对地不吃青菜。我很少在乎我的孩子是否能弹奏乐器或是足够聪明地去学好数学或科学。甚至，我真的不在意每一个假期都听到说亲戚有一个三岁的小孩，他的法语学得很棒。
我的孩子知道“红脖子”字典里每一个字的意思，很坦白地说，那已经足够让妈妈自豪了。
我愿意相信这个妈妈的说法是有竞争力的育儿方法。