If you were to ask your child what gives him or her value, what would they say? The message that our kids hear from culture is that our accomplishments define our worth.

Although this philosophy isn’t new, thanks to information technology kids suffer mounting pressure to base their identity on their successes. “Students today are saturated with messages about performance in their classrooms, with their peers, teachers, colleges, social media, and the larger culture,” comments Jennifer Breheny Wallace, the author of Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic—and What We Can Do About It. “They are hearing messages day in and day out that they have to strive; they have to do better; and that they’re only as good as their next accomplishment.”

Many Christian parents hear this and are saddened, but are there ways that we may be feeding into this same narrative without realizing it?

What is our drive to succeed based in? 

Is it always a bad thing? Don’t we want our kids to succeed and to work hard? How do we balance between healthy expectations and crushing ones? 

Tune in for a thoughtful conversation with Kathryn Butler (MD, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons), trauma surgeon turned writer and homeschooling mom, about what is at the root of our drive for our kids to have their names on the wall.