Parents don't congratulate 15-year-old daughter on making the national debate team finals, praises her older brother for doing his PE assignment instead: 'He did a compulsory assignment and he gets all the praise in the world'

Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor

Aug 23, 2024 9:00 PM EDT

Every kid is different, and parents should know this better than everybody. That's why it gets tricky when praising one child for something you wouldn't praise the other for. If one kid is a diligent, high-achieving student, you wouldn't praise them for getting a C in Biology. But if your kid struggled immensely with passing even one biology test, you're going to hang that C on the refrigerator for all to see.

It's easy to see the lack of justice in expecting an A from one kid and praising a C from another, but what about praising kids for their triumphs in extracurricular activities? A 15-year-old student recently went viral on Reddit after sharing the details of a quarrel she had with her parents. Her debate team made it to the final round of competition after beating out 50 other schools. Instead of praising her for this significant accomplishment, her parents diverted their attention onto her brother doing a mandatory school assignment.