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[quote=Anonymous]Don't push for sports or ECs primarily because you think it helps your kids get into a top college.

I have watched this story arc in at least 50 kids, and hear parents say things like "we don't push him, he wants to practice 2x a day, 6 days a week and lift weights every morning!". But time after time, eventually as they say in Jurassic Park, nature finds a way. I have seen so many former proteges drop out of hockey, squash, tennis, chess, spelling bee, math contest, physics bowl by 16, just before college apps get heated. 9 out of 10 parents in these cases wish they could get back all those $$$$, family time and holidays wasted on road trips. At the same time, I have seen kids who initiated some obscure passion or little quirky hobbies that their parents used to think was a waste of time take off and create new opportunities by the time they are older teens. The problem is parents lack imagination and they think like old people even if they refuse to admit they are old. They see some kid of a friend of a friend get into Stanford playing baseball so they too want their toddler to start picking up a baseball glove, but the game will change in 13 years, there will be something new more well-suited for their kid.

It's a cliche, but listen to your kids and let nature take its course. if you keep forcing, eventually it will break. [/quote]

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