Only if your kid got into an Ivy in last 5 yrs. - how'd you do it?

[Anonymous]

It's rather obvious. The parents, or snarks, on this board all have kids who found their passions in the first decades of their lives and then rode on autopilot into the Ivy of their choice. No prep, no package, no tutors, no SAT prep, no sports camps...oh and of course WPPSI of 99.9 percentile.

Yup. We all believe in Santa Claus.

Merry Christmas.

[Anonymous]

Sorry pp if your kid didn't find his/her passion. That doesn't mean every other kid needs to fall to the lowest common denominator. Ivies stand for exellence. Only a small sliver of the student population has the "right stuff" for an Ivy. Others will be happy with good choices for average kids such as UMD or UMW. Happy holidays!

[Anonymous]

Thank you. It is actually very easy when students do find their passion at a young age. What some of the snarks don't understand is a parent cannot force a child to "find a passion"....they have to find one on their own. Unfortunately, many people never find their passion in life. That contributes to mid-life crises and to some of the mean posters on these threads.

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What you fail to understand is that compulsory exposure of young kids to music, sports, numbers, arts, languages, and books is not forcing a child to "find a passion". It's plain 21st century common sense. As plain old fashioned common sense as exposing them (some here would say forcing) to excellent nutrition and exercise.


If your child found their passion in tobacco, drugs, crime and sex would you not try to discourage this or force them away from this habit/passion? Is it a crime to encourage music, sports, numbers, books, art, languages and academics? If so, I'm guilty as charged. And proud of it.

Spare us the pathetic refrain: "I feel sorry for your kids". There are doing just fine. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry pp if your kid didn't find his/her passion. That doesn't mean every other kid needs to fall to the lowest common denominator. Ivies stand for exellence. Only a small sliver of the student population has the "right stuff" for an Ivy. Others will be happy with good choices for average kids such as UMD or UMW. Happy holidays!

Do you realize how crazy you sound when you equate non-Ivy with the "lowest common denominator"? Really crazy. Only-on-DCUM crazy.

[Anonymous]

What you fail to understand is that compulsory exposure of young kids to music, sports, numbers, arts, languages, and books is not forcing a child to "find a passion". It's plain 21st century common sense. As plain old fashioned common sense as exposing them (some here would say forcing) to excellent nutrition and exercise.


If your child found their passion in tobacco, drugs, crime and sex would you not try to discourage this or force them away from this habit/passion? Is it a crime to encourage music, sports, numbers, books, art, languages and academics? If so, I'm guilty as charged. And proud of it.

Spare us the pathetic refrain: "I feel sorry for your kids". There are doing just fine. Thanks.

You're missing the point completely. No one here is advocating hands-off parenting or parenting devoid of exposure to music or arts or sports. The choice is not rebellious child failing out of school and a child who could potentially get into a good college. I mean, really. You are creating a (really unconvincing!) straw man.

Also, it's not that hard to figure out the quote feature on here.

[Anonymous]

Sorry pp if your kid didn't find his/her passion. That doesn't mean every other kid needs to fall to the lowest common denominator. Ivies stand for exellence. Only a small sliver of the student population has the "right stuff" for an Ivy. Others will be happy with good choices for average kids such as UMD or UMW. Happy holidays!

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Clearly written by one without an Ivy education (Ivy envy). My Davidson Young Scholar is still 8 years old. I actually hope he does not follow my footsteps to an Ivy. I would prefer he explore other routes. But, we'll wait and see if and when he finds his passion.

But, I will continue to insist he "fall to the lowest common denominator": exercise daily in sport, take in a balanced nutritional diet, play his instrument, experiment with art forms, study his languages, read and play with numbers.

We are fine but thanks for the condolences.

[Anonymous]

You're missing the point completely. No one here is advocating hands-off parenting or parenting devoid of exposure to music or arts or sports. The choice is not rebellious child failing out of school and a child who could potentially get into a good college. I mean, really. You are creating a (really unconvincing!) straw man.

Also, it's not that hard to figure out the quote feature on here.

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I don't use that feature.

[Anonymous]

I don't use that feature.

LOL. No kidding?

[Anonymous]

You're missing the point completely. No one here is advocating hands-off parenting or parenting devoid of exposure to music or arts or sports. The choice is not rebellious child failing out of school and a child who could potentially get into a good college. I mean, really. You are creating a (really unconvincing!) straw man.

Also, it's not that hard to figure out the quote feature on here.



Then what are you advocating? If children are not directed and exposed to art, music, sport, numbers, languages, science, books and numbers tell us how they develop any passion? You can start with your Ivy bound children.

[Anonymous]

20:56 has some sense. Others -- not so much

[Anonymous]

Yes, immaculate passion

[Anonymous]

It's good parenting to expose your children to a variety of things when they're young, let them discover their own interests, and then nurture those sincere interests as they develop.

It's nutty parenting to force certain activities on your children, forgoing their own legitimate interests, in the hopes that your choices will make them more attractive to an Ivy League school eventually.

[Anonymous]

I'm saying kids should find their own passions -- not the parents' passions.

[Anonymous]

What are examples of the passions developed by your 3 to 8 year-olds?

[Anonymous]

What are examples of the passions developed by your 3 to 8 year-olds?

Better yet give us examples of the passions found by your 3 to 8 year olds?

Curious