Where we live, lots of people have 'semi-hothoused' plants that move inside for the winter, or start in a hothouse as seedlings and move outside after being 'hardened off.'
I think that because a lot of our childrens' difficulties come from being 'asynchronous' rather than truely alien, that being so careful about the growth requirements academically is mostly needed during childhood years. At 15 it's appropriate for my son to be able to balance his needs with other kid's needs in a classroom - at 7 it was just asking too much of him. Plus in his current environment it truly is a question of balance, since he is often getting his learning needs met. At 7 the classroom was very different, and the expectations for balance were quite a bit more lopsided. If he had been a high EQ kid in a classroom that was meeting 45% of his learning needs, I would have expected more from him in terms of going with the flow.
So that's my personal definition of hothousing...certainly not the standard, just mine.
Grinity
Your observation reminded me of some species of plants in our area. For the first year, a newly planted variety must have it's nurturer water throughout the summer and fall. After the first year, they have established their tap root and can be left to water themselves for the most part.
