Why Not Grow a Super Athlete?
Since the butterfly experiment has been discussed plenty already, I though I'd respond to Amit's recent post. I do not find it surprising that academies for young children exist to hone certain skills. In China gymnasts leave there parents as young as three to attend rigorous state sponsored training. In America, our elite athletes are often the product of unnatural practice regimens. Both the Williams sisters and Tiger Woods have dominated their respective sport for an impressive amount of time. And all of them were subject to intense pressure at a very young age. Tiger was on daytime TV shows to demonstrate his golf talent before he turned three years old. The Williams sisters were coached by a father whose short temper and high expectations are well documented. Even if you turn outside the world of sports the trend remains. The Jackson family faced extreme pressure to perform at the highest level at a young age, and nearly all of them became very successful musicians. What results is certainly an interesting pattern of success through practice at a young age. However, for each success story there are hundreds if not thousands of failures.
The result is a simple realization that life is not fair. Some people are born rich, others poor. Some people are born talented or smart, others are not. While most people are not in favor of large inequalities between individuals, Gattaca portrayed an era when everyone could be the best possible combination of their parents in a strictly negative light. LeBron James is just as lucky as Bill Gates' children. Each inherited certain advantages at birth that will set them ahead in life. However, just as Gattaca portrayed, it is what you choose to do with the tools you are given that determines success.
The idea of forcing your children to train at an intense level should not be a decision made only by the parent. Without input from the child failure, burnout, and even mental and stress disorders can certainly form. However, with the child's consent and the parents encouragement I see nothing wrong with centers of advanced training for intelligence or for athletics. The responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of the parents and no one else for determining what is best for their child. If the decision is properly made such institutions can only help bring out the natural abilities that each child has.
The result is a simple realization that life is not fair. Some people are born rich, others poor. Some people are born talented or smart, others are not. While most people are not in favor of large inequalities between individuals, Gattaca portrayed an era when everyone could be the best possible combination of their parents in a strictly negative light. LeBron James is just as lucky as Bill Gates' children. Each inherited certain advantages at birth that will set them ahead in life. However, just as Gattaca portrayed, it is what you choose to do with the tools you are given that determines success.
The idea of forcing your children to train at an intense level should not be a decision made only by the parent. Without input from the child failure, burnout, and even mental and stress disorders can certainly form. However, with the child's consent and the parents encouragement I see nothing wrong with centers of advanced training for intelligence or for athletics. The responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of the parents and no one else for determining what is best for their child. If the decision is properly made such institutions can only help bring out the natural abilities that each child has.
posted by judge at 11:35 AM
4 Comments:
This is a really interesting topic, one which I think about a lot. I think the problem is the child's delicate psyche can be persuaded that they are made to do whatever it is that the parents want them to persue. If the child is talked into beleieving that they are destined to do a particular thing they will put up with what shouild be intolerable pressure to pursue a dream that may not really theirs.
I agree that forcing your children into intense athletic training is not a decision for the parents, but I also think that without a parent's push, the child will more often than not become lazy and prefer to just lounge around. I think that it's important like you said that everything should be based on child consent and parental 'encouragement', but I also think that it's okay for a parent to force his/her child to practice at a young age. Without this initial discipline taught by the parents, I think the child will never learn. But once the child grows up, I think he/she has the right to decide whether or not to continue practicing their sport/instrument.
I agree with Tiffany that it is incredibly important for children to be put into these types of programs (at some intensity or another) because it encourages an active and healthy lifestyle.
In terms of Kristian's point, I think it is important to note that often with this subject too much emphasis is put on the bad examples of parents who push too hard. Often I think that the opposite is the case, where a parent doesn't give the support and motivation to their child that will help him/her succeed later in life. Though, I do agree that the child's input is incredibly important. Children, particularly these days, are mature at a younger and younger age and are increasingly able to see the big picture.
Here is another thought. Recently I've heard of a few elite athletes retiring at a relatively early age (late 20s, early 30s), and a general consensus seems that they became burned out in a way. For instance, here is a quote from Ian Thorpe's (famous australian olympic swimmer) retirement: "I started asking a lot of questions. I started to look at myself, not just as a swimmer but as a person. Another way of looking at it is that you can swim lap after lap, staring at the black line, and all of a sudden you look up and see what's around."
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