Parents Who Brag About Children
- May 22, 2012
- by Melissa Lawrence
For those of you who are keeping up with my blog, you probably already know that I have an undying love for Glennon Melton of Momastery. And yes, she is the genius behind Don’t Carpe Diem, a blog which I found so genuine, insightful, and inspiring. Glennon seems to have a good head on her shoulders, and, like myself and most other parents, she and her husband are trying to raise nice, level-headed children. Glennon is back at it again with her new blog about why she and her husband have chosen not to brag about their children to their friends. That’s right, no bragging, no parading their kids around on high horses, and no posting their kids’ grades on Facebook with a note about how they are on the road to Harvard. This blog inspired me so much that I wanted to make a video discussing the topic of parents who brag about children.
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Why parents should AVOID bragging
I love my kiddies and I completely understand how it can be so easy to fall into the trap of boasting, but I’ve found that excessive bragging can do more harm than good. Kids feel very loved when they achieve something, but they still want to feel loved even when they don’t achieve something. Bragging can also affect your relationship with other parents, as Glennon points out. I’ve seen this in the case of babies. Not all babies develop at the same rate, which I noticed with my own children, so it can be a little difficult to be around moms bragging about their own child’s rate of development if yours isn’t quite at that stage yet.
Keeping that in mind, I’ve found that erring on the side of caution around other parents in terms of bragging is the best way to avoid hurt feelings. Let’s face it — when it comes to our little ones, all parents have insecurities, and I remember how much it would bother me being around parents who bragged a little too much. Parents, check out my video to learn more about how bragging can hurt and how you can avoid doing it around other parents!
Comments
GerL
Totally agree … would love to know your advice on how to deal with a friend who constantly brags about her child … (or her child’s school, soccer team etc. etc.)
Melissa-CloudMom
Hi there! I guess I would say ignore it and let it go if it is someone who is supportive of you and you enjoy the friendship; if however she is really driving you crazy and not that nice anyway, you might want to concentrate on your other friends! I actually have a video about this! Check it out, and thanks for watching! xo Melissa
https://cloudmom.com/coping-with-competitive-moms/
Scarlet
I am careful to tell my children not to brag too. It is great that they have 100 AR points but they may not want to tell their friend who only has 30 about that. I just explain it is important to be considerate of how what they say may make the other person feel.