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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]None.  DS is entering 6th.  This thread has been a real eye-opener.

Where do you all live?  How would you describe your culture/ethnicity/race/country of origin?

Nobody I know in my neighborhood does this, [b]nor do DS's classmates at his independent school in DC.[/b][/quote]

Have you asked every single one of them? I highly doubt it. Unless it's a school that only goes up to 2nd grade or something.

We live in Bethesda. The clueless middle-class American parents who think time stands still and life will treat their children exactly the way it treated them, are of the opinion that childhood should be as fun and work-free as possible. After all, they'll be able to [b]get into an Ivy just as easily as their parents did [/b](I actually know parents like this). And then the recent educated immigrants and foreigners, as well as more far-seeing Americans, see the changing world and hard-core global competition and expect their kids to be at least two grades ahead in everything, and to develop their critical thinking skills. This usually means some measure of academic study during the holidays and enrichment all year. They strive to make it interesting and stimulating. Academics don't have to be drudgery.

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Ivies being even harder to get into is EXACTLY why you shouldn't sweat it and shouldn't pressure your kids. Personally I'm not always impressed by Ivy grads I've met, and quite often the most brilliant and successful never set foot on an Ivy campus. There are many, many paths to success.

90 percent of 6-7 year olds who are spending hours a day on drills, academics, instrument practice, etc. are going to be burned out by the time they hit their teens. There are plenty of ways to develop critical thinking skills that do not involve academics at all. Kids don't develop a work ethic by having their whole life planned out for them.

Here's what my 7 year old is actually doing this summer:
Swimming
Riding his bike
Playing with friends and neighbors
reading manga and other books on his own, every day
practicing piano 20 minutes on his own, every day
developing somewhat sophisticated paper airplanes
Playing tennis with Daddy
Drawing
Legos
Model Kits
Making up and playing silly games with younger sister
TV
Video games
Learning how to prepare foods like rice and simple salads
Khan Academy

Here's what I planned for him but hasn't happened so far:
Getting a jump on math skills (little motivation on my part as he is already ahead, grasps things quickly, and we're not doing AAP no matter what - should I make him do it anyway?)
Practicing his immersion language, though he will attend a camp and has regular exposure to the language
Cursive writing - he has excellent fine motor skills and really wanted to learn this last summer but I didn't jump on it in time. He's less interested this summer.

He is insanely jealous of the "kids" (teenage children of the brick-laying contractor working in our neighborhood) who "get" to work and is looking forward to turning 14 and getting a job. Ha!

We're not worried about him. Right now his dreams for the future involve industrial design and/or military. They'll likely change, but I believe he will have the ability and work ethic to do what he wants for the most part.

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