As usual, the popular press has missed the point. This isn't about, "bad parents, you're all over-evaluating your kids!" There's really no news here -- we all know that there are a few parents who are "like that."
I've seen research finding that people tend to overestimate themselves, and I think it's likely that that they overestimate their children, too. Almost all parents think their children should go to college, which is not realistic considering the distribution of IQ and academic motivation:
Is College Worth It? Pew Research
May 5, 2011
Nearly every parent surveyed (94%) says they expect their child to attend college, but even as college enrollments have reached record levels, most young adults in this country still do not attend a four-year college.
