all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

Perfection chokes out creativity, it enforces rigidity, and denies play and exploration; it creates the perfect breeding ground for sterility and dullness. As humans, especially children, we are natural explorers, don't snuff it out. We make mistakes and that gives us the opportunity to learn and grow and conceptualize the world and allows us to understand it on a more intimate level. Teaching children to pursue perfection will only cripple their ability to weather through difficulties not prescribed in controlled settings, eviscerate their self worth, and their ability to discern for themselves who and what they wish to become. The pursuit of perfection is corrosive, malignant, it slowly and inevitably eats away at one's physical and mental well-being and leaves the individual bereft and empty. Encourage children to do their best, but don't push for perfection, allow them to choose for themselves how they want to live their lives.