What an alarmingly raw exposure of the narcissism that pervades the Valley. The author's conflicted, borderline self-loathing struggle for counter-cultural self-awareness amidst the myopic career obsessed pursuit of "achievement" and relevance is quite revealing.

Should she further the "achievement" of her child through cultural conformance and obsession with "achievement" and corresponding status, or is it her who needs to find her own voice, not defined by external validation. She laments how comfortable she is with her status accredited largely to Stanford, and is ambivalent to whether she wants her child to drink from the same source.

This is a "humblebrag" mix of a genuine and slightly insincere search for yet more validation. Children are a symptom and reflection of their parents' values. To acknowledge the limitations or shallowness of a life defined by a pursuit of "achievement" and validation for her child, she must become self-aware and acknowledge the same throughout her own life.