I’m proud to say that my kids are no mystery to me. One of the greatest benefits of clocking the hours with your offspring, making family a top priority, is that you know your people — the good and the bad, the strengths and the weaknesses.

So why are my emotions stirred so deeply when teachers or other parents talk about my children? Why can’t I listen dispassionately when others comment on my kids’ behavior, good or bad, with the confidence that I know my littles better than anyone?

I suppose the pulse of a confident and well adjusted parent wouldn’t change a bit waiting outside a classroom for a teacher conference or when the email from the dean of students arrives in the inbox. Why do my guts get so wooshy when a fellow parent makes an offhand observation?

Maybe it’s an oldest child, approval-seeking thing?

I guess I’m aware of this because of the roller-coaster month my oldest has had: a couple of run-ins with the discipline system at school (mostly for overly exuberant goofiness), followed by kind words from a long-time school staffer and friend. Then I was almost brought to tears on the sidelines of a soccer game when a fellow parent recognized a published academic achievement.

It’s normal; I get it. We’re invested in our kids, and as much as we like to think that peer-pressure is something only teens are subject to, we like to hear good things about our kids from other parents. Still and all, do you ever worry that you are overly sensitive to the judgments of others when it comes to your kids? How do you keep approval-seeking from intruding on your parenting?