Originally Posted by CAMom
He threw one ball, fell to the floor crying and insisted he was incapable. ... In the car he said "I just have to practice!" Should I have let him give up after one attempt simply because he was upset and didn't want to try again?

I don't think anyone here has advocated for letting kids give up after a first failed attempt at something. So I'm not sure why assumptions that this is the case keep getting thrown out. The thread is getting long, and I kind of feel like some people aren't reading posts carefully, and then inflame the discussion by making incorrect assumptions about what's been said. If I've inflamed it, I apologize.

Again, my point in this thread has been that:

* If a child is consistently unhappy in an extracurricular activity, and

* Participating wasn't his idea

the child is being forced/pushed into something, and it may do more harm than good.



Val