How Can I Help My Kids Get into Medical School

Recently the mother of a 9 year old boy asked me an interesting question: “How do I get my son to be more like you? I want him to be a doctor!” I’ve been asked similar permutations of this question on a number of occasions. It’s a fascinating inquiry. It assumes someone would want their child to be like me. I’m certainly not perfect. Yet, I can understand why a parent would want their child to be like me – and I mean that in the least egomaniacal way possible. Most parents would appreciate having a doctor for a son, especially in a world where far too often kids fall in with the wrong crowd, engage in drugs and violence, and drop out of school. My parents are certainly proud of me. I am a product of their hard work as parents. The example they set and their approach to parenting created the foundation for my principles and values today. What lessons can be taken from their parenting style?

These questions of my parents and how I was raised have captured my imagination. As I grow older and look to begin a family of my own, I find myself more intrigued by such parenting questions. What did my parents do to make me… me. My parents certainly had a profound impact on my growth and development. What were the strategies they used to help me to reach my full potential?

These are the questions I hope to answer with this reflective series of blog posts. I use “getting into med school” as a metaphor for helping parents to maximize their children’s potential. I have begun to research parenting as a discipline and in this blog I hope to connect my research with my experiences growing up so that I may share with you the ways my parents helped me get into medical school. I hope to provide insight that will allow parents to help their child reach their goals, no matter what career they choose.