Where do you draw the line if your DC wants to participate in too many and/or too high level competitions?
I would only draw the line based on what we can afford in expense as a family, or based on what my children can afford in time away from other things. OTOH, we don't look at the purpose of the competitions as going for the gold - my kids like to compete to be challenged. Life would be a bit boring if you only entered a competition when you knew you would win, wouldn't it?
I realize my family's mindset isn't lock-step with a lot of folks - we knock heads on this a lot with my dd who is involved in competitive individual athletics - she wants to compete at the level where she's challenged, her coaches want her to compete at the level where she'll never miss a beat and will always place high. The coaches see sport as being all about the win, and dd quite simply could care less about getting first place. It's fun for her for about 30 seconds when she is in the process of having her name called for the award, but then it's over. She's much happier coming in middle of the road or even absolute last if it means she's able to compete at a level where she feels challenged, and I'm a-ok with that.
polarbear
