My little brother strode the stage in his cap and gown, gave his med school dean an emphatic handshake and transitioned from Mister to Doctor for the rest of his life. “Now, that is really something,” I said to my mom through misty eyes. That decades-old moment still resonates in my heart. A couple weeks ago, my 5-yr-old, in a lemon-yellow $15 cap and gown we were obliged to buy, was handed his “Diploma” at his PreK4 “graduation.” I love my son’s school, but this, simply put,

My kids are 4 and 2. All I want, like any parent, is their happiness … and success. But I’ll take happiness over success every time. Some would argue that success and happiness are synonymous. I strongly disagree, because we have perverted the definition of success. In fact, success for children often precludes happiness these days. Because it is based on the college you get into, the resume you compile and the comaprative advantage you possess to get a good job. And I’m talk