How come your child is more important than mine?

We have 2 lovely, pretty, intelligent and well-behaved girls. Obviously, though, there are plenty of children who are prettier, more clever and better behaved (alright, at least as well behaved - our girls do seem freakishly "good"). Equally, there are plenty of children who are more plain, more stupid and who behave badly. That is just the way life is. In short, our girls, while we love them and are immensely proud of them, are nothing special. They are average, and have the same abilities and rights as everybody else. Some parents, however, seem to disagree.

Apparently, their children's needs are more important than anybody else's, and their offspring are also by far the most fascinating topic of conversation. These parents may as well wear a giant sign round their neck, which reads "My child is special, so your child can just fuck off!". A case in point: Today, at our usual drama group, I suddenly noticed that 2 of the regular girls behaved atrociously - aggressively elbowing and pushing in, willfully ignoring my request that they move back to allow everybody to see. Their mothers were either oblivious (deep in conversation) or indifferent. Appropriately enough, they reminded me of Cinderella's ugly sisters (though these 2 were perfectly pretty), as their greed got the better of them, and they started fighting each other.

After that, I noticed that actually these 2, especially one of them, were always out in front. In other words, other children always ended up looking at the back of their necks. I realised I just had not fully taken this in before. Outraged, I commented on this to a friend of mine, who wisely  pointed out, that some parents actually want their children to be pushy. And so with that in mind, this is a public service announcement:

Are you the proud owner of a precious princess? A cheeky monkey? Then it's time you grew up, so your child has the chance to do the same. The longer you allow them and you the illusion that the world revolves around them, the more damage you inflict on them. Sure, your pushy Paige or obnoxious Ollie may get to the top of the class, the front of the queue and may well become head of the marketing department, but they won't have any friends. Will that make you proud?
If however your child really does have a special gift and is destined to become a Nobel Prize winner, an Oscar winner or a president, then please do carry on. That way, one day, I will be able to say: "I knew the mother you know.....we were practically acquaintances."

On the other hand, your children still shouldn't push in front of others.