ABSTRACT
If the pregnant/newborn phase kicks some parents into an intense pursuit of perfection, the school years propel that pursuit toward an entirely new and dizzying height. The meandering toddler schedule gives way to the more structured routine of school, and with it comes a whole new category of things to worry about and “get right.” Choosing the soundest educational philosophy, competing for slots in the best school, populating future college applications with accomplishments beginning in kindergarten, worrying that one’s kid isn’t “keeping up”. For some, it’s a madhouse of anxiety with the added wrinkles of public comparison and one’s own childhood baggage.
