Originally Posted by Bostonian
"Hothousing" is bad by definition, but it's not easy to define.


I think it should be confined to people who are pushing a child beyond their capabilities or to the extent that the child is in distress. One of my friends had parents who made her get up early every day to practice piano, which I always considered very pushy. However, she seemed to enjoy it to some extent and went on to major in music in college. So was it wrong? Plus, it's cultural. So many cultures "push" their children, but it's a fact that these countries are doing better in subjects like math. They don't see themselves as pushy, they see us as apathetic and neglectful and our kids as spoiled brats. So there is a very big gray area and people's values define it. I don't criticize people for their values unless a child is clearly suffering.