When to Let Children Quit

The Wall Street Journal:

Your son hates the flute. He says he has and always will hate the flute.

You are a strong and resolute parent. You wheedle, cajole, bribe and threaten him into practicing every day. He gets pretty good. He does a recital; he’s in the band. Many years later, on the brink of adolescence, your son comes to you and says: “I want to quit the flute.”

What’s a parent to do?

Quitting isn’t a notion that sits well with most people. The emphasis on achievement and hard work, not to mention countless hours spent ferrying little ones to expensive practices, has made it particularly loathsome to parents. As children get older, competition surrounding college applications can turn quitting into a scary word.

…

“It’s hard for children,” says Suniya Luthar, Foundation Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University. “Harder for parents.”

Read the whole story: The Wall Street Journal