I grew up with strict parents and a fear of bad grades. I'm raising my son differently.
My mom's strict rules about grades made me a perfectionist. I don't want that for my son.
Karin Crompton, the author, grew up with strict parents who often checked her homework and quiz results daily. If her grades fell below an A or B, she faced severe consequences. This upbringing instilled a fear of failure and a relentless pursuit of perfection. When she recalls a chemistry class where she had to hold back tears due to poor quiz performance, she remembers the dread she felt and the question, "Why do we treat a daily quiz as if it's my final grade?"
She now understands that practice does not make perfect, and instead, perfect practice makes perfect. Her mother, a successful high school softball coach, taught her the mantra, "Perfect practice makes perfect." She realizes that her previous rigid mindset and fear of failure were a fool's errand, and she learned this after reading psychologist Carol Dweck's research on fixed mindset versus growth mindset.
Now, Crompton encourages her son to focus on effort rather than grades, fostering resilience and high standards.
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