I hope my boy is just like me--only better.

• Position: Parenting - Brief article

The more that parents see their children as part of themselves, the more likely they are to want their offspring to succeed in achieving their own failed dreams, according to research published in the journal PLOS ONE. The results might help explain the actions of so-called "stage moms" or "sports dads" who push their sometimes-unwilling children to become stars of the stage or the playing fields, indicates psychologist Brad Bushman, coauthor of the study.

"Some parents see their children as extensions of themselves, rather than as separate people with their own hopes and dreams. These parents may be most likely to want their children to achieve the dreams that they themselves have not achieved."

The study was led by Eddie Brummelman of Utrecht University in the Netherlands. The results, while not surprising, had not previously been the subject of empirical research, Bushman maintains.

Results show that parents who reflect on their own lost dreams (as compared to...