“There’s such a status thing here: ”˜I went Georgetown. I want my kid to go to Georgetown or better.’ It’s such a rat race,” says Bowers, who has lived in McLean for 24 years. “Nobody is taking a step back and asking, ”˜Is going to Princeton going to make me happier in the long run? Is this even right for my child?’ Because there are real consequences to living this way.”
Bowers knows it’s a high-stakes parenting arms race in McLean and communities like it. The obsession with grades and college résumés can overwhelm everything. She wants people to back off ”” and is trying to get them to, with film screenings, workshops, lectures and meetings with clergy and mental health professionals.
Many fellow parents think that disarming sounds good, in theory. The problem is, they’re reluctant to try it with their own kid.
If you don’t get your kid in the right preschool, it’s too late.