I was reading the latest issue of Reader's Digest last night and in the "Dear Aunty" section a letter sender who calls herself "Proud Parent" was asking for advice regarding a friend who always tries to top her stories about her children. Aunty's advice was to find a less competitive friend to share her stories with.
I think most parents have this tendency. For a while, I was fighting this same tendency because I remember how it used to annoy me when I hear 2 parents engage in a "who-has-the-best-kid" conversation. Face it, every parent is biased and we think that our children are better than other people's kids. But your child will never be the best in the eyes of another parent no matter how great your story (I think any parent who thinks that another child is better than his/hers needs therapy). So I don't see the point in these bragging sessions. For me, it's enough that I know how great Andrea is. I don't have to impose her on other people to feed my ego. When someone tells a story about their child, is it really so hard to just listen and be happy for them?
