I think the roots of a lot of these kinds of approaches are:

1. Some parents forget that they don't own their kids, and

2. There are control issues going on. This is particularly evident if Mom or Dad picks all or most extracurriculars and decides what the child has to learn, when, and how.

What's wrong with letting a kid just goof around on a skating rink or at the piano? If SHE wants to learn crossovers, that's her decision. If kids want to develop their skills, they will. Why do people insist on imposing themselves so much and so profoundly on their kids? And then finding ways to justify it by citing self-serving examples? Please see point #1.