Being Valedictorian Doesn’t Always Equal Happiness

A few weeks ago when we were reading through the “The Silicon Valley Suicides” article, there was a particular idea in the article that left me confused and in disbelief; the article stated that a lot of these parents which pressured their children into being the top of their class, compromised the happiness of their children. Immediately what came to my mind was that that was ridiculous, I could not believe that parents would not value their child’s happiness enough to even begin empathizing for them. It makes me really sad to know that numerous parents exist who are like that, especially in this area. Personally, I do feel pressure from my parents to do well in school, but nothing overwhelming, they’ve always told me to put my happiness first. These parents do not understand that the pressure they put on their kids has a huge impact on how they view themselves and their goals. I would think that as a parent you would want the best for your child, however that does not only mean having your child be the best in school, but that also comes with emotional health. I do not see much point in life when you are unhappy. I understand that these parents worry for the future of their children, however they really need to step back and reflect how their actions affect their kids’ decisions, because most of the time these students are trying to conform to their parents standards, despite feeling completely overwhelmed.