On Guidelines For When It's Acceptable To Brag About Your Children

In Time for a Truce in the Bragging Wars Bruce Feiler wrote guidelines for when it’s acceptable, or not, to brag about your children. I thought I might be guilty of every one of these violations, but I have to settle for 9 out of 10.

I don't necessarily agree that fear is the reason that this topic elicits such passion in braggers, but I do think there's a certain amount of uncertainty in parenting and its normal when achievements offer affirmation that we did something right.

Personally I never mind when other people brag about their children, and excessive bragging is just like any other type of excessive posting - we all reserve the right to ignore, block, etc. However, the reverse bragging definitely does get my "hate machine" started, as Mr. Feiler refers to it, because too often these parents are just resigning themselves to inadequacy at proactively announcing it at the expense of their children.

Check it out at The NY Times and see what you're guilty of.