Why Do Parents Compare Their Child To Others
Why Do Parents Compare Their Child To Others?
It’s natural for parents to measure their child’s development and progress against peers. However, constantly comparing can negatively impact a child’s self-confidence and self-worth. As parents, being aware of comparison triggers can help shift focus to appreciating children’s uniqueness.
The Urge To Benchmark Progress
As caregivers, understanding typical childhood milestones guides parents to support development. It also alerts them to signs of potential delays requiring interventions. Hence, parents commonly:
- Compare babies’ physical growth to percentile charts.
- Note toddlers’ language and social skill acquisition versus developmental checklists.
- Evaluate school-aged children’s academic and extracurricular performance through report cards, contest results, team placements, etc.
Such benchmarking tendencies reveal themselves in comments like:
- “Her cousin was walking by 11 months. I’m concerned she isn’t walking yet at 14 months.”
- “He’s falling behind in reading compared to his classmates.”
- “Why can’t she keep up with the advanced math group like her brother could?”
Societal Pressures To Conform
Beyond monitoring development, modern parenting norms pressure caregivers to produce exceptional children. Social media feeds flaunt other children’s talents and achievements. Comparisons inevitably creep in.
Grandparenting styles also frequently focus on accomplishments over effort. Comments like “Look how high she scored on that test! Good job!” reinforce ranking over personal progress.
Such culture fuels potential self-judgment when a child falls short of peers or family standards.
Impact On Child Wellbeing
Damaged Self-Esteem
Harsh self-critiquing parents may transfer those expectations onto their children. Frequent comparison and criticism – even when well-intentioned – chips away at self-confidence.
Children internalize the dialogue as:
- “I’m not good enough because I’m not as talented as others.”
- “Nothing I do seems to please mom/dad as much as what other kids can do.”
- “If I’m not the best, I’m a failure.”
Over time, healthy self-esteem erodes.
Stress and Anxiety
Children constantly compared to others also experience anxiety. They come to equate self-worth with measurable achievement instead of inner character strengths.
The following helpless thoughts often result:
- “I have to keep proving my abilities over and over again.”
- “Even when I succeed, it’s never enough.”
- “If I can’t perform as well as others, my parents will be disappointed in me.”
Such pressure-cooker mindsets generate emotional distress and stress during developmental years critical for building resilience.
Rebellion and Resentment
When children feel valued only for high metrics instead of unconditional love, bitterness understandably develops. They begin questioning parents’ motives despite best intentions behind the comparisons.
Common sentiments include:
- “My parents don’t actually care about me, just how I make them look.”
- “I’ll never measure up to their expectations, so why bother trying.”
- “I resent them for not appreciating me for me.”
This festering emotional distance strains the parent-child relationship over the long-term.
Why Parents Compare
While parents comparing children arises from good intentions, the behavior hints at underlying issues.
Personal Insecurities
Parents who routinely measure their child against others often battle insecurities themselves. They derive self-worth from professional status, community stature, or other external validation.
Notably, moms more predisposed to compare experienced intense achievement-focused parenting. They subconsciously perpetuate those pressures onto their own children.
Vicarious Ambitions
At times, parental comparisons reflect ambitions they held for themselves. A mother who had aspired to Olympic gymnastics glory or father who dreamed of getting a Ph.D. may over-invest in child outcomes.
Living vicariously then motivates pushing children relentlessly towards unattainable standards.
Societal Judgment
Well-meaning friends and family members also unknowingly intensify comparison habits. Their judgmental comments on child growth reinforce over-monitoring for any “abnormalities”.
Statements like “Is she tall enough to be a model when she grows up?” or “I can’t believe he’s not reading chapter books yet” compel defensive comparisons.
Breaking The Comparison Habit
If parents catch themselves constantly measuring their child to others, self-reflection helps. The following steps reduce comparison urges long-term:
Pinpoint Motivations
Analyze what specifically triggers comparisons. Is it:
- Personal insecurities?
- Unfulfilled ambitions?
- Societal judgment?
- Milestone monitoring?
Increased self-awareness of root causes empowers change.
Adopt a Growth Mindset
Renowned Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck’s research reveals children thrive when parents praise efforts over accomplishments.
Help kids view abilities as flexible versus fixed. Support personal progress over metric-based outcomes.
Temper Input Sources
Since social media and grandparents often fuel comparison habits, consider:
- Hiding boastful posts from other parents.
- Having candid but compassionate discussions on comparison impacts with relatives offering commentary.
Setting boundaries with outside influences helps.
Focus On Strengths
Make identifying and nurturing your child’s unique strengths the priority versus spotlighting weaknesses. Provide opportunities matching interests and aptitudes instead of forcing square pegs into round holes.
Express Unconditional Love
Ensure children feel cherished for who they are as people, not what they achieve. Reinforce love doesn’t depend on measurable success.
Small daily actions – hugs, loving notes in lunchboxes, displaying artwork proudly etc. – powerfully convey unconditional acceptance.
In Closing
Comparing children to peers likely persists given parental wiring to monitor development combined with achievement-focused societal norms. But consciously avoiding comparisons shields child self-confidence. Tempering the habit also reminds they are perfectly wonderful just the way they are.