Montefan, I think you are making a sweeping generalization that parents who do not force their kids to continue an activity for years that they really dislike also do not expect their children to ever step up to a challenge. That certainly has not been true in our family. My kids get no quarter on academic challenges, for example (even the gifted one has a very hard time with foreign language, for example, and there is no discussion of her dropping out or dropping back -- just working harder). And as I stated in previous posts, my kids are turning out very well (the NON-gifted one is on track to graduate from college Phi Beta Kappa, for example). You don't have to be mean to your kids to get good results and responsible adults.

By the way, I have been a manager and business owner as well. And I do not see an association between forcing 7/8 year olds to ocntinue with activities that they have given a few years to and clearly do not want to continue with, and with being a good eomployee. That is just a really big stretch.

Last edited by intparent; 12/28/10 03:22 PM.