stage moms

Stage moms are mothers who push their children into performing careers—acting, singing, dancing, beauty pageants—often with excessive ambition or control.

The term implies the mother's investment in the child's success may serve her own needs more than the child's: The stage moms waited anxiously in the wings during auditions.

The stereotype includes managing every detail of the child's career, sometimes at the expense of normal childhood.

Stage mom can describe any parent who lives vicariously through a child's achievements, not just in entertainment.