Gary Shteyngart

I find this very frightening.

I have a first grader and another one who'll be in kindergarten next year.

And I know it's coming for them.

I know it's coming for them and for me.

So there's a sadness to this for me.

I look at my son studying his Pokemon card binder every morning, which it's not for anything.

It's not for anything.

He just likes the cards because he likes the cards.

And I know homework is coming in a real way.

And I know the competitions are coming.

And I know it'll be important for him to at least do well enough in them.

And obviously for my younger one, when it's his turn.

And I just feel this dread of so much of the joy being drained out of their life.

One thing I can suggest is...

Mind when your kid develops real love, especially a love of something creative.

My son loves composition, musical composition, loves it.

And he's going to school next year, you know, during the weekend that will, you know, prep him for, if he wants a career as a composer someday, I don't know, maybe I will do that too.

But he loves it.

And this, I think, you know, he's sitting there in a class.

He may like the class, he may not like the class, but he's humming to himself.