#2

I would also like to elaborate on Karen's post. I agree with her point of view, and also disagree with the statement about successful parents expecting more of their children.

First off, I'm also in the position of being the daughter of two immigrants, and I was their first and only born in the United States. Constantly I've heard my parents talking about how they came to America with basically nothing, just to get better opportunities. Here's just a small amount of background on Polish history: Not including other occupations in more ancient times, there was a period of Soviet Communist dominance from 1945-1989. Yes, this means that the first 25 years or so of my parents' lives could be compared to living in George Orwell's book, 1984, just in a much less extreme and more realistic world. Their stories and those of my grandparents amaze me so much, it's hard for me to believe they are actually true.

Moving on, I'll be the first to say that I have never seen such hardworking people as my mom and dad, and I know all they do is just to help me live a better life than they did. I believe this is true for any hard working and less successful parent. Unlike Karen's parents, mine never did have the chance to get a college or university education (if any beyond high school.) However, I know that because of this they want me to rise above all and fulfill the dreams that they never got to.

I wouldn't say that my parents expect too much of me, but I feel like in my life there's no alternative to being the best. (At least the best I can be.) From the very beginning, I've loved learning new things and expanding my knowledge. Because of this I've been successful in school, but I know this isn't the case for everybody.

I may be wrong, but in my opinion and from my experiences, I think that at least some percentage of successful parents lower the expectations for their children, thinking that it's impossible to achieve something better than what they already have. Parents who haven't been as lucky generally want a better life for their children, therefore, their expectations are higher. Looking even beyond the conscious level, I feel like there's a subconscious drive to be more successful than those around us no matter what they've accomplished.