There is a point when “My child loves swimming” quietly becomes “My child must become good at swimming.” Then swimming gets a certificate. The certificate goes into a folder. The folder joins the school achievements. And suddenly, a perfectly ordinary childhood hobby has become another item on the achievement checklist. It is easy to understand why parents do this. The world feels competitive, uncertain and increasingly expensive. Parents want to give their children every possible advantage. But somewhere between giving a child opportunities and designing their entire future, the child can start feeling less like a person and more like a project. Research has increasingly connected achievement pressure, parental criticism and perfectionistic expectations with poorer emotional outcomes for some young people.
