In North America, we tell our kids that they can have, do or be, anything they want. What do they hear when we say that? They hear that they don't have to do, be or have things that they don't want.

We are so concerned with our kids self-images and self-esteem that anything and everything they do gets praise. Praise for cleaning their rooms, and praise for eating their vegetables, and praise for not kicking Aunt Betty in the shins, praise for going to to school, praise for shoddy work, poor effort and lousy performance. All because we want them to like themselves. I think most kids come into this world liking themselves just fine.

We point out over and over again as parents, teachers, relatives and concerned adults, that each child is so special and so unique that the words have completely lost their meaning. And by insisting that our children be special and unique, we exaggerate their differences and not their shared and common responsibilities.

Find more ways to introduce the concept that there are many, many areas in life where they will be doing the very same things as other kids their age. And the expectation is that they, at the very least—be average. Yikes, did I just recommend that you encourage your kids to be average? Trust me, being average is better than failing.

Achieving average marks in Social Studies is better than playing video games instead of doing homework—because, they have been praised from birth that everything they did was a marvel, a true miracle, instead of simple, normal development. And they have bought into the other half of the statement that they don’t have to do things they don’t want to do. But, the truth is, they do have to do some things they don't like-because that is what society demands of them and every other student. And in that way, they are not special or unique. They are one of millions of students who have to go to school every day, like it or not.