This was rather timely, for me. I have been struggling with the assumption that my daughter's science fair was due to me, rather than her. I was very proud o

This was rather timely, for me. I have been struggling with the assumption that my daughter's science fair was due to me, rather than her. I was very proud of her work/effort, and wanted to share that with friends/family, but many of the reactions were, essentially, "well, it was really you who won". And that couldn't be further from truth. Now, one reason, I assume for this reaction, is due to two things: 1) they know I'm science nerd (I have a degree in physics), and 2) she's really young, but won for the whole school (she's in the second grade, and won 1st place for the school, and her own grade). They say this, without even knowing what she did or how she did it. To me, the entire point of the fair is to get kids AND parents involved in science, while exposing kids to the scientific process. So, to me, I get my daughter to do as much of her project as she can. And even things she can't do, I still get her to try, even when it takes her a long time (like typing her slides that get glued to her board - she types with one finger pecking very slowly). But she loved the work, and felt like she was learning something. Her experiment was incredibly simple (literally a cup of water and a timer), and she thought of the procedure herself, and the question she wanted to answer was hers. But, even after I explain this to someone, they still feel my daughter was unfairly advantaged, or at the very least, was given some better than average coaching, because of my background/experience. To a certain extent, I kind of agree on that point. I do try really hard to explain the concepts to her in a way that an 8 year old can understand. But, ultimately, it all comes down to her. The idea and experiment were hers. When I walked the gym and saw the other experiments/projects, many were highly decorated and beautiful (my daughter's had no decoration, just a title and the required sections with text in her own words). And many experiments had rather elaborate processes, and/or complex devices. Sadly, I too thought that many parents were at work, rather than the kids, even knowing how much I made my daughter do on her own. But it all seems to come down to the kids. And, some here have mentioned, the judges are pretty good at detecting BS. So although a perusal of the fair wouldn't make it obvious which kids did their own work, or how much they really learned, and that's where the assessment of the judges has to be taken into account. And it was that that made me feel better about my daughter's work. I was proud of her, because I knew that it was she who did it, and was glad the judges were able to see it. But I totally know that many parents do over-involve themselves to the point the kids don't learn anything. It seems a difficult balance to strike, but it does seem possible to distinguish the extremes.