Oh, and see, KJP, I call that "parenting."
My definition for hothousing is much more than that.
I think that pragmatically, it's hothousing when most objective outsiders, possessed of omniscient observation of the entire parent-child relationship, would assert that particular activities are
for the parent's benefit/goals/wishes, and have NOTHING to do with the child's interests, in spite of what the parent rationalizes.Amy Chua stuff, in other words.
Honestly, we're pretty firm about the need to do things like practice the piano (even though DD seldom WANTS to), but it's very definitely not about our own desires, nor about some fantasy of our own regarding the activity. DD is
not going to become a professional musician, and while she is easily talented enough to be a proficient amateur performer if we PUSHED her enough, that isn't why we insist on piano. We insist on it because it is important for
her to develop the habit of discipline and see for herself that results are proportional to effort.
I've definitely done some things that might
seem like hothousing... but they are really about parenting a child with a will of iron and the judgment of her chronological years. LOL. I had to laugh at the observation about another poster's 2yo being an immovable force when it suited him to NOT cooperate. Bingo.
