For her, I let her practice less time than the teacher asks for. I want her to keep taking lessons and learning, but I also don't want to burn her out. She is my child who, when she just plays and is relaxed about it, plays with the most feeling and seems to be a natural musician. She's not going to get into Julliard at her rate of practice and motivation, but if I stay mellow about it and just let her practice minimally as long as she's learning I am ok with her taking lessons - I see it a bit like I see signing a child up for a rec league in sports, things like that - if she was preparing to major in this or get a scholarship in it, she should practice - but if it's something that's simply fun and she enjoys, it's ok to be relaxed about the approach, take the classes but don't stress over practicing at home. The key is to look at it as giving her a hobby that she will be able to enjoy for her adult life.
EXACTLY the approach we've taken.
My DD is a late-intermediate student after 8 yrs, but this is because she practices just 15-35 minutes a day.
