Being Loved for a Reason

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I see it this way: when a kid gets good grades, it tells the parent that they can probably die in peace knowing that their child will not grow into an adult who lives in the street eating out of garbage cans. Education is what a person needs to succeed in life. Good grades are rewarded because a parent wants to see it continue. It's not a way to buy their love. They're happy when you do well because it reflects that they've done their job and that you stand a chance in this difficult world. Education, good salary = effectiveness, shelter, food, independence. NOBODY likes a social parasite. Your parents are NOT your servants - serving you until the day you die. The successful parent teaches their child how to serve themself.
Remember the saying, (I think it goes something like this) Don't give a man a fish, teach HOW to fish. Small villages don't want charity, they want an economy. Work enobles man. Stop being negative or I'll slap you.

The belief that good grades are rewarded with good life is out of date by decades. It was true back when the Baby Boomers were in school and/or were starting their careers, but nowadays, you do not become successful through good grades. You become successful through social connections (a.k.a. "networking"), being cunning, and willingness to throw people under the bus. Today in 2013, former straight-A students are the ones delivering lunches to Fortune 500 offices where former C- and D-students work. A job's a job, but still. I know it sounds harsh, but that's the reality nowadays. Today's success is not about good grades.

Thanks to my parents' obnoxiously strict requirements, I did get straight A's. They were overjoyed when I got reports cards like that (while I'd simply think "punishment averted!"). Did that help me succeed in my IT job? No! Until recently, my boss was verbally abusing me every day, and people called me at 2:00 in the morning with impunity; my boss told them to call me anytime they needed help. I solved that problem by suing the company. And I won! My boss was fired! Mind you, everyone in the company except me absolutely loved him. And I got a small settlement to boot, enough to pay for a cruise I'm taking this month.

Did I succeed in winning the lawsuit because I got straight A's? Hell no! I won because I was able to find a good lawyer (social connections), because I was willing to risk throwing my colleagues under the bus, because I was sneaky enough to take advantage of US labor laws (being cunning), and because I stopped caring about people I work with. The result? Although people stopped inviting me to their departments' lunches, they take me way more seriously now. I do the bare passing minimum, and can't be fired, unless I damage property or something. And calling my cell phone for any reason is now prohibited. I couldn't be happier.