Bragging Backfires

Does everyone in the universe really need to know where your kid is headed for college this fall? Even if your child is marching through the front door of a highly selective university, there isn't much to be gained by announcing this news publicly. In fact, there's a lot to be lost. I say this as a daughter who remembers cringing, literally, when my dad—upon meeting old friends, new acquaintances, or just innocent bystanders at the local hardware store—would somehow work into the conversation an update on one or another of his children's accomplishments. In the same column of “nobody needs to know who hasn't asked,” I'd put your child's SAT scores, their awards, the personal record you set in your last marathon, and anything else that, by making you or your progeny look good, makes the person forced to listen to you feel bad. Since we all know what it's like to be on the receiving end of bragging, it's always been somewhat of a mystery to me why bragging persists.