Paris Hilton: CelebuTard in CelebuHab then CelebuJail. Next stop, CelebuMom.

Question: Do we as people ever reach perfection?

The answer is obviously no. We are living and dynamic. We change and we grow. Paris Hilton is changing and growing daily. You and I change and grow. So why do some people self distruct while others thrive? I know it is because of the curse of perfection.

I had some insight into this while remembering my childhood. When I was young and in school, the mantra from my parents was ‘get A’s on your report card’. I didn’t get A’s but I did OK. Fortunate for me I was pretty good in one or two subjects. The rest I wasn’t much interested in or saw no need for.

The subjects I gravitated toward were the ones I was good at. So I focused on these and neglected the rest. Needless to say, my parents weren’t to happy with this approach.

The school approach to generalization is flawed. Students compete to be the best at generalities. A ‘C’ in one subject gets far more attention than an ‘A’ in another. Parents are the worse at this too. God forbid you brought home a ‘D’ or an ‘F’. Can you imagine bringing home a report card that has 3 ‘As’ and 3 ‘Fs’? What about 6 ‘Cs’ (an average rating). Un acceptable! “You must get all ‘As’.”

This ‘perfection system’ is so ingrained in us all. My son brought home a great reportcard but it had a ‘C’ on it. Guess what grade I focused on? Never mind he’s a great athlete, musician and writer. I focused on the ‘C’.

Perfection is a flawed concept and, by association, so is the ’straight A’ concept.

The U.S. is creating an army of perfection seeking generalists. Can’t be a good thing. We need to celebrate unique talents more then general ability.

What’s all this have to do with Paris Hilton? Paris’ woes started when the spotlight first shined on her. ‘Perfection’ was required in everything from looks to clothes and boyfriends. Then add the additional pressure of the media spotlight. What would any teen do when forced under a microscope? Rebel!

Paris Hilton may have been good at something, but she was expected to be good at everything. Some with Lindsay, Britney, and the other 20ish celebutards. The media spotlight is broad and bright but not very focused. It shines on every aspect of a person’s life. A great actress gets reported on who she is dateing and how they act at parties. Teens can’t hack the pressure and grow into dysfunctional 20somethings.

So before you ruin your kid, celebrate their uniqueness and allow them to bring home a few ‘Cs’.
Don’t put them under a microscope and do not tell them they need to be perfect.