Perspective for Connecticut parents on the challenges of school

I realize that some of you reading this article will cringe a bit in self-reflection and perhaps curse the author. The latter is justifiable, if only because I am equally guilty of the problem I will cite. Parents – including me – have to stop our whining about school.

Some context will be helpful. I was raised in the leafy NJ suburbs which, while not as idyllic as those in Connecticut, was equally steeped in affluence. Cultured in the same cluelessness about the larger world as most Connecticut students, I definitely have done my share of whining about extraordinarily small problems.

My transformation towards a more grateful attitude stems from years living in Washington, DC and Philadelphia and seeing real struggles of parents, as well as travels to places such as Morocco and Thailand. Telling parents that your child’s big problem is dealing with three AP classes, studying for the SAT, and playing a sport would be looked at curiously from parents who are hopeful that they can meet their children’s basic needs.

We are lucky – crazy, beyond belief lucky – that our children confront problems that would be viewed as gifts by the vast majority of the world.