My son, a senior, has decided to play baseball this spring.
This is his first commitment to a sport since middle school, when he gave cross country a try. He is very active in extracurriculars. He's been in every musical and play. He's been first trumpet since his junior year. He'll be heading to the state forensics competition soon.
It's tempting to view our kids' experiences growing up through the lens of our own. At his age, I leaned more toward the athletic side of school activities. Baseball was my best sport. I also did the plays and musicals, but wasn't nearly as talented as he is in that domain.
I've always tried to be cognizant of my own biases as a parent in this area. Beyond the expectation to finish a season once he committed to a team, I have never pushed him to stay with a sport if he didn't love it.
As a parent, how much should we push our kids to excel in these types of activities? Shouldn't they just have a natural desire to learn…
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Read by Example to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.