Reply to Why are people here so averse to pushing their kids?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Maybe a digression, but I totally agree with the PP who noted how strange the obsession is with youth sports.  My kids all did various sports for fun when they were young  but now that they are in high school, their interest is dwindling which I think is completely natural since there are now other things that interest them.  Very few people go on to play their sport at the college level, and even fewer as a post college career.  But so many of my kids friends parents seem to be thinking the sports recruitment process is their kids path to college acceptance, which I think is such a risky bet. So much is beyond the kid’s control (sure, ability and training matter, but whether or not they are given an offer also depends on what skills the coach needs to fill in their team, what skills other players from accords the US are, if they can finish high school without an injury etc). I’d much rather my kids focus on what is in their control - learning the academic info they are taught.

I love to exercise and have done so my whole life but was never on a youth sports team sports team. Lifelong fitness and participating in organized sports are not the same thing.  [/quote]

That was me. Maybe I struck a nerve rolling my eyes at all the people I live near who either have UVA or VT flags in their front yards and still get excited 25 years later about their college teams. I find that kind of weird, but I guess I find watching all professional sports sort of weird. I know there's a reason people get so into it. They identify with the team. But it also feels like it's those same people who push their kids into youth sports.

The thing about all of that pushing is that you end up with little clones. If you really are encouraging your kids to do all of those things because you believe it will make them better people, then I'm going to assume you are modeling that behavior yourself. And if so--great. It is good to volunteer. If you're a parent who volunteers and you introduce that to your kid and say this is just what we do as part of being good citizens and people--great.

But it feels more to me like UMC kids are just ticking boxes.
1. Did Johnny take enough APs?
2. Did Johnny play the correct number of sports? 
3. Was Johnny the president of a school club? Or better yet--did Johnny start his own "foundation" or non-profit to show leadership?

All of these kids do the same things, and it's so obvious that so many of them were coached. That doesn't mean those things won't help them get into college or that some of those things might be good for them. But it depends on the kid. If my kid would rather spend time working on art that no one sees but herself (and yeah...it drives me a little crazy) who am I to say that's not a valid interest for her to spend free time on? Because it can't be calculated? My kid doesn't volunteer. You know? I don't either. I should. But I don't. So I would be pretty hypocritical to make her do something I don't do. Her school actually requires some volunteering. But you know where she'll probably spend it? In the library shelving books. And she'll get in to a good school if she keeps her grades up. No. Not Harvard. But there are plenty of good schools she will get into just being herself.[/quote]

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