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Tweens are already walking through middle school as if the hallway is a live comedy roast. Every zit, voice crack, or mismatched outfit feels like global humiliation. Now imagine that same kid discovering you just uploaded their awkward school photo to your 300 Facebook friends with the caption, “My little man is growing up so fast!” Let's look at how parents became publicists of their children’s lives, why it backfires, and how to celebrate without broadcasting every milesto

It starts with one after-school activity — soccer, maybe. Then comes piano, karate, tutoring, coding, choir. Suddenly your seven-year-old has a calendar more crowded than your own, and you’re sprinting from one parking lot to the next like you’re competing in the Triathlon of Parenting. Let's explore why we do it, how it backfires, and how to reclaim sanity before you need an oil change every month.

Four-year-olds will do almost anything for a sticker. Five-year-olds quickly realize stickers are just paper — and begin demanding toys. By six, they’re holding out for iPads. The art of the parenting is to control the “good job!” household economy before it spirals out of control and before bedtime negotiations start to feel like United Nations trade deals.