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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’ve never seen someone keep it a secret- almost everyone I know (and I talk to a lot of parents) has their kid do some kind of academic enrichment or tutoring.   It’s just part of the culture here combined with the fact that everyone is looking to accelerate their kids (chapter books in kindergarten, algebra in 6th grade, DE classes in high school).  No matter how smart your child is they can’t do that without a lot of outside help.

The more interesting question is why are we in such a rush (my eldest was taking math classes in HS that my engineer brother was taking in his Junior year of college).   We’re all locked in a weird arms race. [/quote]

No we aren’t.   Those are some poorly educated parents if they think that pushing chapter books on 5 year olds makes any difference long term.  Pushing math faster than necessary will guarantee that the slow but steady smart kids who followed the guidelines will be much more proficient than the ones who sped through the necessary basics.   [/quote]

I suspect you do not have older kids who are applying to college, internships or other competitive opportunities.  Whether you like it or not your kids live in a competitive environment where opportunities from scholarships, top colleges,  prestigious high schools to internships and sports teams are subject to fierce competition.  I have never met a parent who seriously regrets doing too much.  But I know a lot of parents who wish they had done more. [/quote]

I do have older kids and middle school.   We don’t need scholarships like a lot of people so there’s no worry there.  I’m not worried about top colleges I’m hoping they find one that’s a right fit.   As for sports I believe that just like IQ has some genetics involved so do sports.  My family has a long history of successful athletes who even in today’s environment make varsity and college teams without private coaching or clubs.

I just wonder how many of you are trying to push your average athletic kids into top athletes.  That’s a lot of stress.   Same with trying to push a smart kid into academics years ahead of where he is.   And there are plenty of parents who pushed too far and the outcome was disastrous.    [/quote]

You sound like a lazy parent reaching to justify their their bad decisions.  If you have the means (by the way very classy to let us all know your family doesn’t need scholarships) why wouldn’t you help your children achieve their potential?   If hard work and ambition cause your kids stress maybe you should spend some of that money on therapy.  Just to let you in on something all of us know - the world has gotten much more competitive housing,careers and education.  It’s been a long time since you can wander into the middle class.  Do better. [/quote]

Oh gawd the ridiculous personal attacks are so useless, but I’ll try to clarify what you misread.  Kids don’t always need to go to extra math classes or reading  after being all day at school if they are already reaching their potential at school.  They don’t need to be three grades ahead.    I didn’t say my kids experience stress.  I said if parents push too hard to try to make their child something they’re not, and make them feel they aren’t good enough, telling them “the world is more competitive “, that’s a lot of stress on the child.

Also when a posts start with “you sound like…” you know there will nothing helpful in the post.  [/quote]

Go to bed Janice [/quote]

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