I used to think of myself as an overachiever.

Back in high school, 100% was my personally accepted minimum in every class, I had multiple extracurriculars, and tons of personal projects to boot.

But I definitely wasn’t in the same league as the kid in this story from Reddit user @Smooth-Adagio8519.

And some people don’t think that’s a good thing at all.

Check it out.

AITA for not stopping my daughter from filling her schedule?

My daughter (16) is incredibly driven.

She’s always been a high achiever and has liked keeping herself busy, but the last two years it has been on a completely different level.

She’s in all AP classes, has already tested out of English, speaks five languages fluently, and is learning three more.

She’s also taking three electives in addition to everything else.

Clearly a very smart kid AS WELL as hard-working, which don’t always go hand-in-hand.

Last year, she wrote a research paper in social studies, and this year she’s doing three research papers in total—one in economics, one in biology, and one in veterinary science.

She volunteers 6-10 hours every week and generally just keeps herself extremely busy.

Honestly, she’s rarely not doing something.

The part that’s being left out here, I assume, is how this kid clearly invented a time machine because ARE YOU SERIOUS, THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH HOURS IN A DAY

I’ve been getting a lot of comments from other parents and even some teachers, asking if I think she’s taking on too much or if she’s “pushing herself too hard.”

But every time I bring it up, she insists she’s fine and doesn’t need any help managing her schedule.

She’s genuinely happy with her routine.

She doesn’t complain about being tired or feeling overwhelmed.

She says she thrives under pressure, and I’ve never really seen her show signs of stress.

So where do you go from there?

A few days ago, my MIL took my husband and me aside during a family dinner and demanded that we make our daughter drop some things from her schedule.

She says that we’re “pushing her too hard” and that no one her age should be this stressed out.

My MIL was pretty adamant that we were being irresponsible by letting her go at this pace, and she seemed pretty upset with me and my husband for not stepping in.

She even said that I was being “blind” to the signs of exhaustion and that our daughter might be “hiding how hard it is for her.”

Is the MIL seeing something the parents aren’t?

The thing is, I really don’t want to make a decision that could make her resentful, but I’m also worried about not being firm enough if she ever does hit a breaking point and I didn’t see it coming.

I’ve been thinking about it, and I wonder if I’m being too lenient.

Am I overreacting to my MIL’s concerns, or is she right that I should be pushing my daughter to slow down?

To be perfectly honest, this is something significant enough that a child psychologist should likely be consulted.

But since this is Reddit, let’s see what the amateurs make of it:

We all know this kid, right?

Some of us have BEEN this kid:

Sometimes you just gotta embrace the void:

But for real, it’s time for the pros to step in.

Personally, my overachieving came to an end about two years into college, when I had a mental breakdown that started me on a lifelong path of monitoring my mental health.

It’s a common enough story. Nobody wants to hold a bright kid back, but we all have to find balance in order to live well.

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.