This thread is really interesting to me...one because we have definitely been on the receiving end of the "you must be drilling/hothousing" your child" conversation..but also because of the loose definition of 'play' in this house. My DS 3.5 is so...literal - he is not (or hadn't been until very recently) interesting in pretend play so much. He loves numbers (and letters) and has since forever. he could happily play with his number magnets and letter magnets, spelling out words, making numbers, making equations, writing on his easel the same sort of things etc etc, for hours at a time. Lately the numbers have become people (with faces, arms and legs etc) doing things like playing at the park etc...it's pretty cute). but I digress...

His play time is so very academic-y...math and science especially...that it sometimes feels like he it almost 'hothousing himself' (though not really, since it's fun and interesting for him). But it's just weird, because I'll say, "hey DS, wanna play cars?"
"No, mama, I'm doing numbers/magnets/multiplication tiles etc"
"...oh...ok."

We do have a lot of reading time, and he has started looooving drawing/writing stories (we go through a lot of art pads here). But for the longest time, it was like school at home, as per his interests. So it's just a sort of fine line, I guess.

In regard to actually drilling a kid...maybe if they were the agreeable sort of toddler, (does that exist??) but I know my stubborn DS and getting him to do ANYTHING he doesn't want to do is a lesson in futility. I simply loved the image of sitting on the child to brush his teeth, too funny!