I grew up with strict parents and a fear of bad grades. I'm raising my son differently.

The author (not pictured) said that she feared near-daily grade checks from her mother. She's choosing to do things differently with her son. Pressmaster/Getty Images I grew up with near-daily grade checks and believed anything less than perfection meant I had failed. It took me nearly 30 years to let go of the perfectionism I learned as a teen. When I check my son's grades, I make sure to focus on his effort instead of the score. Sophomore year of high school, I recall sitting at my desk in chemistry class , head down, working unsuccessfully to hold back tears. I'd done poorly on a quiz in the previous class, and I knew there'd be hell to pay when I got home. My mom checked my homework and quiz results every day, and anything less than an A or a B meant trouble.