Anonymous wrote:OP is not hysterical. I can empathize. After a stressful five months of applying to schools, it is very stressful to find out that schools also want videos. Your thinking, “Enough already! My kid just spent hours and hours writing this application. They don’t have much gas left in the tank.” These videos involve some brainstorming and planning and practice. It’s an added layer of stress. Whoever says OP is hysterical has not walked in OP’s shoes. Saying OP is hysterical is simply a lazy, unenlightened response.
I too have walked in OP's shoes (this year actually, child year applying for college) and what I have tried to do as a parent was was to help calm the situation, and not freak out myself, thus making it worse for your kid. In this case, OP could have done that by a) reading the instructions that clearly articulate the video is OPTIONAL and b) getting a grip on themselves, as the adult in the room. To do otherwise is the definition of reactive parenting that doesn't help.