Uh, a good mom wants her kids to earn their rank in school. By doing the work. (Alien concept, I know.)
My second son screwed off in catholic high school and his guidance counselor called me and said he wasn’t going to be able to get into a competitive college. She was very irate and seemed to expect me to get involved & get him in somewhere. I said those are his grades, the ones he earned, and he will get into the school that he earned.
He got into Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Graduated and was still cocky. One year of working for a series of selling jobs and he was ready to hear my advice. He went back for his masters in Business, he had to petition the Dean of the business school. Now he has been out for 5 years and has just landed his dream job on wall street after 5 years in an analytics company.
If I had listed to the guidance counselor and bribed his way or twisted the arms of acquaintances he never would be where he is today. He learned the lessons, did the work, sent out the hundred resumes. I’m proud of him.