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CATZ Blog
What’s wrong with wanting to go to Harvard? (Part I)
Posted by Jim Liston on Wednesday, October 31, 2007 - 05:10 PM
For those of you who don’t know, CATZ was featured last night (10/30/2007) on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. The story focused on parents hiring “sports tutors” for their children, and asked the question, “Have we gone too far?”
If you did not see the story - you can view it by clicking the link below.
Video: NBC Nightly News - Sports Tutors For Kids
Of course, I firmly believe that sports in general and CATZ in particular are great activities for kids.
The opposing side of the NBC story was represented by noted child psychiatrist and author Alvin Rosenfeld. Dr. Rosenfeld took the stance that programs like CATZ are problematic in that they put added pressure on kids and serve to professionalize childhood.
I have read Dr. Rosenfeld’s work, including his book Hyper-Parenting, and agree with many of his positions, which we will talk about in later posts. However, I must disagree with his contention that, “Every tenth grader knows what it takes to go to Harvard. There is something wrong with that.”
Since when did it become a bad thing to have a child who reached for lofty goals? When your six-year old daughter wanted to climb across the monkey bars, did you tell her that it was too hard for her and she should wait until she was eight?
Kids set goals all day, every day. And you know what happens when they don’t succeed? They shrug it off and try again, and again, and again. Hmmmm, we call this perseverance, and it is a character trait that will take kids a long way in life. It’s our job as parents to nurture this natural tendency in kids to set goals in a positive manner.
I hope that when my daughter turns 16 she is aiming for lofty goals and dreaming big dreams. Who knows, maybe she will even want to get into Harvard.
What’s your opinion on this subject?
(12) Comments
comments
Cathy on Tuesday, June 09, 2009 - 01:38 AM
There is a difficult balance between two poles for parents: on the one hand, trying not to live out your own issues through the child; and on the other, helping the child fulfill his/her own abilities and potential. Any scholastic or athletic program which encourages the child’s own confidence and achievement is likely to be good. Any program which satisfies the parent’s need to feel accomplished through the child will end sadly for both. The programs in themselves are neither good nor bad. It depends on what or whom do they serve.
fashion and vintage on Thursday, June 11, 2009 - 02:19 AM
Really interesting,thanks for the posting. I watch young athletes train every day. They consistently push themselves and the performance coaches who train them. They play sports and train at places like CATZ because they want the challenge and want to be part of something bigger than themselves.
Todd on Friday, June 12, 2009 - 02:45 PM
Cathy, you nailed it. This is same argument for whether competition is good or bad. Competition, in and of itself, is a good thing. It turns dysfunctional when the coaches and leaders of the organization force their own goals and athletic “baggage” rather than focusing on the kids.
Brinton Young on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 11:10 AM
Guys, let’s cut to the chase. Athletics, and competition in general, is not about winning or losing; it’s about humiliating your opponents, and a child is never too young to enjoy this wonderful feeling. I admit that enduring and inflicting pain is important, but it’s not the main thing. The main thing is to leave the field of play with your head held high and your opponents wishing they had joined the math team instead.