Did you foresee your child's talent when they were young? Ie Did they end up being a good golf pro?

[Anonymous]

I don't want to waste money on lessons, already I can tell DD doesn't have dance talent (6). I'm glad we at least tried it for fun.

[Anonymous]

So you'll only spend money on lessons if there is a chance that your kid will make it to the Olympics or to the Academy Awards?

What happened to kids doing activities that they like? Dancing, ceramics, various sports, singing. Just for fun, like you said.

[Anonymous]

Well, yes. However. Some kids are great at something because of sheer, inborn talent, while others are great at something because of raw determination. For example, I do not have a ballet dancer's natural turnout, but I loved ballet and through raw determination trained my body to turn out the way it needed to in order to look right in the ballet world. I was so happy while I was dancing and if my mother had listened to the ballet teacher at 5 who told her I didn't have natural turnout, I'd have missed out on 15 years of flying through the air in leotards.

Sometimes you take lessons to nurture a love of something, and other times you take lessons to learn how to do something and still others you take lessons to explore whether or not you like an activity.

Your attitude towards this disappoints me, OP.

[Anonymous]

Many kids don't have natural talent. They take lessons and become reasonably proficient at something. They learn to work hard at something and enjoy something out of school.
Your post is asking about whether people foresee talent when they were young, but then your first post is about whether to pay for lessons or not. Those are two different questions.

[Anonymous]

Talent is overrated. i've seen people with little talent do very well because they have drive and no how to network. I've seen people with tremendous talent squander it.

Determination and passion are as important, if not more important, than talent.

[Anonymous]

Actually, my goal from soccer (travel, so we're spending the bucks) is that my son is fit when he's 40 and can have fun with his friends. They say he is gifted in a different area, but he doesn't much like it. Not wasting money shoving training down his throat for that.

[Anonymous]

My son has always had talent for the theater, and has always loved acting and storytelling, which means that this summer for the first time ever I am paying what is to me an enormous amount of money for a Performance Camp. Then I realized I would just manage to break even at the end of the month. Something has to go, but apparently not the drama

[Anonymous]

my nephew is a fledgling PGA pro, he is a two time state amateur champ and graduate/mainstay of a major college golf program and yet is still struggling to make the PGA tour and make this his career....

bottom line, always have a Plan B and a Plan C.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:my nephew is a fledgling PGA pro, he is a two time state amateur champ and graduate/mainstay of a major college golf program and yet is still struggling to make the PGA tour and make this his career....

bottom line, always have a Plan B and a Plan C.

But did you see the talent or passion for the game at age 5/6?

[Anonymous]

I did see artistic talent in one of my DC by age 5. Nurtured it along with occasional art lessons, since it was a true passion. She lives out her creativity 24/7, and always has.

[Anonymous]

Some of my child's strengths were apparent from the time he was very young. For example, it was clear that he had great balance. However, I never would have predicted that he'd use that balance in the specific sport that he chose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't want to waste money on lessons, already I can tell DD doesn't have dance talent (6). I'm glad we at least tried it for fun.

Please reconsider this attitude. It comes across as "I don't pay if my kid can't 'go somewhere' with this activity," whether you meant it that way or not.

You do not mention at all how your child feels about dance. Does she like it and have fun, still? Is she happy to go to class? Whether or not you, yourself, think she's got talent at it?

If she likes it and wants to continue, why does it matter whether she is naturally gifted at age six? Let her continue the activity that she likes. Would you require her to stay with another activity if she disliked it but you felt she had strong talent for it? Truly? That is the flip side of what you're saying here: She should do what you believe she's good at doing, but her own enjoyment is not a factor; her ability and your money are the deciding factors.

As for "already I can tell DD doesn't have dance talent," are you a professional dance instructor qualified to say that? Even if you are -- wouldn't you want your child exposed to the musical learning, body awareness and exercise that comes with dance for even the lousiest student (IF that student likes it and wants to be there)?

If she herself has said she doesn't want to continue, fine. But when she does want to do something else -- soccer or softball or art lessons or fencing or music -- and you feel she lacks talent, are you then going to make her move on over and over until she has an activity at which you feel she's going to...do what? Major in that art form in college, or be a professional athlete, or whatever?

Let her pick activities based on whether she has fun and feels enthusiasm for them. Please don't tie up her activities in your purse strings and make things all about her ability. She might be terrible at something but love doing it. The point is DOING it, not the end product.

Isn't there anything YOU enjoy doing for its own sake even if you're not great at it?

[Anonymous]

If I understand OP correctly, perhaps her child shows no talent in dance and isn't even average. I think it is hard to enjoy an activity if you are really bad at it. I don't plan on signing up my kids for basketball or volleyball because they are short. I will play basketball at the park with them but I am not willing to spend the money or time for them to be on a team. My son isn't great at baseball but since he isn't the worse and he enjoys it I signed him up last year. There were a couple of kids who were truly awful on the team. They looked like they werent having any fun because they struck out every time (it was easy coach pitch) and only played outfield becausd they couldnt catch a ball. On the other hand he is a really good at soccer so I am willing to spend the time and money on club soccer, camps, etc.

I think it is a cycle -so he liked to kick a ball as a toddler, he started soccer classes at three, he played with us in the backyard, he was the best on his first soccer team and got praised for it which motivated him more to keep playing every day. He got on a pre-club team and got access to better coaches, better competition, more playing time.

[Anonymous]

Agree with 14:18, if that is what OP meant. I was in gymnastics as a kid. I couldn't, and still can't, do a cartwheel. After a couple of years,once it became clear my inability to do a cartwheel was going to hinder any progression,my mom sat me down and asked what i liked about gymnastics. No idea what I answered,but I ended up taking skating lessons instead and loved them. My mom's rationale was that she was paying a lot.for this gymnastics class and it really was a waste. But she worked with me to find some other non mainstream activity (i was already into tball) that i enjoyed and could actually do.

[Anonymous]

Pp here again. Meant to add,i would have been in big trouble if my mom only paid for an activity that she thought i would go pro in. I was mediocre in every sport i played (except crew ), but as long as i was having fun,my parents were always there.to cheer me on.