There are parents who push their kids to excel in sports to get scholarships, so they don't have enough time for their studies. These kids may play on college teams, dreaming of being a professional, then when they're injured simply don't know what to do with themselves. Or the parents push their kids so hard in high school that the kids get into the good college their parents wanted, and just slack off because they've reached their goal.
Our son once told us he appreciated the fact that we DIDN'T nag him about doing well in school all the time. He had friends in college who hardly spoke to their parents anymore, because they were finally free of the haranguing. That was very sad to hear. We didn't have to harangue our son, because he had a very strong internal drive, and still does, as an attorney who wants to be a judge, someday.
Good for your son. Sounds like he’s doing well.
But I have trouble believing that most children are pushed too hard to succeed. They are usually not pushed hard enough, and they are overconfident about their abilities because they never had the proper parenting to give them the right sense of perspective. Studies say that American children think they do quite well in studies and yet they are in fact well behind kids overseas in stuff like math and science.
A mom at home is the best encourager of a son — loving, prodding, showing him how a successful man will be attractive to women. She does not have to nag, just be there. She should be there when he comes home after school, and welcome him with genuine love and enthusiasm, as only a mother can. Then he will be less likely to seek solace in sex or video games (or worse). He will be less inclined to hang out with bad apples and wild latch-key kids who complain that their parents push them too hard so let’s go smoke some weed.
Nope, I don’t think most kids are pushed too hard to succeed.