Reply to Daughter needs some extracurriculars. Any ideas?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Actually schools encourage this sort of thing by insisting that high school kids must have a "passion" by age 14 and that they should spend 4 years of high school creating a "story" to show that they have followed that passion. It us a ridiculous construct that leaves most kids floundering and wondering why they are losers for not having decided their future by the 10th grade. Of course it sends both parents and kids into a tizzy. I blame the system.[/quote]

What schools are you talking about?  I've only seen those kinds of things suggested when nervous parents show up at college nights (now offered to Freshman) and badger counselors for the proper formula to get their kids into a top college.   Independent thinkers and their kids make up their own minds and explore things because they find them interesting, not because they might package them for some admissions counselor somewhere.

Parents, being the grownups, need to resist getting caught up in this nonsense and let their kids develop as they will.  Otherwise, it will come back to bite you.    [/quote]

[b]What about kids who try a lot of different things and still aren't sure what they are interested in?  What about kids like that who get B averages?[/quote][/b]

Many of those klds will blossom later. They'll be ones we all see at high school reunions who surprise everyone because they've done so well and no one expected it.   Some people find their passions early, others take longer, but it's hardly a race.  And plenty of kids who go to colleges that DCUMers scoff at are going to end up being more successful than their Ivy-bound peers who peaked with the great "story" they spent 4 years creating in high school.

I highly recommend "Where You Go is Not Who You'll Be" and "Excellent Sheep" for some real life perspective on why it pays to let your kid chart their own path.  [/quote]

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