Did your parents ever push you into any doing anything?

Hebrew school – two afternoons a week of absolute tedium. I didn’t retain much but I am glad today that I can read Hebrew, even though I don’t understand much of it.

piano lessons

The day I graduated from conservatory, I stopped practicing, and eventually playing all together.

In retrospect, it taught me how to multi-task at a very young age.

Their mindset was absolute focus on just piano, so I wasn’t allowed to develop my interest in dance or art.

I’d say piano lessons, too, beyond what I wanted to take. I wanted to play, but it got to be a drudge. Didn’t want to practice. That was when I was 8. I took them for 3 years. My parents finally saw that it was a losing battle & they let me quit. But I’d gotten the basic important parts of it. Immediately, I was on that piano bench…because I WANTED to be, not because I HAD to be. I went on to play the organ for many years at my church. I now play for my own enjoyment. I’m glad they made me stick with it.

Flute lessons that I eventually grew to love and diving lessons

I think that comes naturally among most parents. . . as they would firmly believe that “parents know best”. They try to expose their children to the usual suspects of activities that they think may grow into the child. I was not spared of that either, but once the sparkle is gone, they just let go…

Playing the piano, hiking, climbing, canoeing… basically a whole list of things that I hated doing at the time but that now I’m an adult love to do.

I was forced to do Tae Kwon Do when I was younger, and I hated it. Looking back I wish I had looked into other martial arts and studied them. My parents had always pushed me to do what I love, and I always had an interest in art growing up. Nowadays since I’m in the college years, they worry about me since art is not exactly a job to easily keep or even become successful with. My dad had always suggested to me to become a doctor when I was a little girl, but the medical field never interested me. To this day he still recommends I work in med!

When I joined the Air Force, my parents pushed me to work out before I left for basic. I am laaazy when it comes to exercise. I am so thankful that they told me to bear it and wake up and run, go to the gym, etc. I would have been in so much struggle and pain if it wasn’t for them.

No. I did it all my way.

My mother’s mother pushed her into taking piano lessons and performing. As a result my mother bent over backwards not to push us into anything.

I would have loved to take music lessons, but did not get to.

No, except a stint at playing piano that was so brief that it could barely be called “forcing” me. I joined the children’s choir at my church and school on my own, so I got a good musical education anyway. None of my sibs were forced into music lessons. Two of my sibs did choose to take piano though, and one of my brothers is majoring in music now – still taking piano and also learning the organ.

I was forced to go to church, if that counts. I didn’t mind while I was in the children’s choir because I basically viewed it as an hour-long sing-a-long, but as soon as I was in high school and too old for the children’s choir I hated going, and stopped when I went to college. I still dislike going to church, although I don’t blame my mother for forcing me to go when I was a child. I’m very educated about christianity, which has come in handy.

It’s an interesting discussion. How much should parents push children into doing things? If they never did, how would we become exposed to things? But, on the other hand, if the kid really doesn’t like it, how long should they be made to stay?

@marinelife Do it now. It’s never too late.

Just playing Soccer…. I wish soeone would do that now, 20 years later, so I could get back in Shape…

Neither pushed me…had enough of that disease myself!

chores

My parents never pushed, but they encouraged me to use my talents and to learn to play the drums. i started out beating on old pots and pans. then, my dad bought me a used set of old drums to practice on. i guess my dad saw something in me that i did not. anyway, for about two years, i taught myself to play the drums. the noise practicing drumming was deafening to say the least. i believe my mother is deaf today because of this.as it turned out, my dad was correct. i became a drummer for many Nashville artists for many years. my parents did not push…....they nudged!

Church…religion…living with a load of freaks in a commune

My parents never made me commit to anything I didn’t want to do. My mom did have a way of convincing me to try something by promising me that if I didn’t like it after a month I could quit. She made that offer to me twice. Once I was in first grade and we had just moved to California and I joined a new Brownie troop. I was really shy and I was uncomfortable with new people, but she asked me to stick with it for a few meetings and I ended up making friends and sticking with it. And then again, I was in fourth grade and she wanted me to do the “Young Scholars” program. I ended up loving it and doing it for the whole year.

Other than that they never pushed me to do anything. I did ballet, gymnastics, and horseback riding. All those activities had their natural end (when we moved to a new place) and they didn’t try to make me continue when I wanted to stop.

Mom would always give me that pout if I don’t follow what she liked. But they knew i won’t get swayed easily.

Playing the piano. I hated it so much!! For 5 years i hated playing it and the minute i had the decision to stop i certainly did.

No they didn’t, it was actually quite the opposite in my world. When I asked to take dance lessons (at around 8), they made me figure out a way to pay for half of them myself. I took piano lessons for a while but didn’t practice enough and they forced me to quit. In retrospect I wish they had pushed at least a little bit.

With my own kids I encourage while trying not to push. If they sign up for something I do make them follow through for at least a couple of months.

Yes!! They pushed me into church every Sunday morning, Wensday night, and thursday night. When i made my first communion they backed off a little. I appreaciate the experiance. Now that i realize life is a about family ( or atleast my life ) im glad i soent all that time in church, because it taught me how to love uncontintionally and to share it with my family.

2nd Answer. this answer is from a parents point of view, concerning pushing their child. my daughter was going no where in her life. she graduated high school with honors, but just seemed to “wander around” for years. she was never focused on her future or the future of her children. one day, her mother and i had a serious talk with out daughter. while hoping to get her back on track in life, we made this offer to her. that, we would watch her children, if she enrolled in college to obtain her nursing degree. was this pushing her? in a way, it was. did we care? no. we did our part and my daughter did her part. she now has her nursing degree and moved to Seattle to start her career. maybe, she just wanted to see different sights and that was okay with us. honestly, i do not believe my daughter would have earned her degree, if her parents had not pushed her into it. today, she thanks her parents over and over again. sometimes, you have to push, even shove to wake up your children to a better life.

Yes my parents pushed me into going to a trade school when I was about 17. It was very hard for me and I resented them for it because I did not like the school and I was not too interested in learning the skills at the school. I started to give alot of trouble. I was disrespectful to teachers and I wasnt doing any work. I managed though to stay and finish the years that I was supposed to finish, because I always had a personal code to always finish what I started. Today reflecting back on my experience, I am kind of glad that they sent me because I still managed to adopt skills in electrical and I have job experience now…but I would have still preferred that my parents listened to me better and respected my views on the school.

Dance.Tap,ballet and “jazz”-whatever that is…
I hated every moment of it and during recitals I made sure to never smile.So,there.

@lucillelucillelucille So your tongue sticking out in all the pictures was not part of the routine??

It was part of the routine.Did you not notice the tap shoe on the end of it???

When I was 19, a friend invited me to move from Fort Worth to New York to study and work. I wanted to but was so afraid to leave my little hometown, I said no. But my parents insisted I give it a try. THANK GOODNESS THEY DID! It launched my career I’m still pursuing today and gave me a wider view of the world.

@lucillelucillelucille Yes I did and River Dancing with your tongue will get any guys attention! ;D

Nothing. I always had a healthy interest in instruments and sports, and my parents supported that.

The only thing I remember my mother forcing me to learn was how to swallow pills. I was terrified and would cry and choke any time I tried. She was quite forceful in trying to teach me. I eventually got the hang of it at 14.

@Cruiser -That’s what he said.

Nope. My parents weren’t and aren’t like that.

@casheroo ha…I can’t swallow pills and I’m 18… :( Maybe my parents should’ve forced me…

Tap dancing. I didn’t like it.

Yeah. I became my guardian’s unpaid therapist starting at 7, a job that lasted until I was 31.

just be happy that you had parents…lots of us did not! So, you make it own your own!

School, and not just passing. My parents would (and still do) freak out me if I get a B, much less a C or D. I’ve never seen the value in in grades, they don’t say how smart a person is. However, I am glad they’ve pushed me because it helps build a strong work ethic.

no. my parents are not the ones in control here, i am.

Gymnastics, and I remember every time I cracked a joke or laughed at something, my instructor would give me the death stare of doom. If I enjoyed doing it I certainly would have stayed, but all the practice bored me to death. All I wanted to do was run around outside.

My parents pushed Catholicism on me for 18 years. Aside from that the pushed me to play Soccer, Basketball and Baseball. Though I completely sucked at it, I ended up enjoying baseball and played for 3 seasons.

My father’s side of family were very musically talented, but for some reason they never even tried getting me into playing an instrument. Now as an adult, I really wish they had.

My dad moved us around at least once a year (real estate) and it was annoying for him to push me to go find kids in a neighborhood to play with. I didn’t really want to make friends because I knew I couldn’t keep any and I was more interested in staying inside reading, sewing and drawing. Later on it was decided I should be put in some sort of sports to kill time between after school and when my parents got home from work so they picked girls gymnastics which they figured I’d like because it wasn’t dirty, outdoors and didn’t involve boys who for some reason they thought I was afraid of. Gymnastics has to be one of the worst sports for childrens’ self esteem, body image and there is little peer comaraderie in a sport where those who excel are so self centered and vicious to one another.

My dad tried to push for me to play softball, I stated in no uncertain terms that I didn’t like softball and would not partake in it if my life depended on it. He then moved on to tennis, yet another failure, (i’m a volleyball player) then it was bowling. I do enjoy bowling and I’m not bad at it 200 up lately so it wasn’t that bad.

SWIMMING!! I know what you are all thinking… everyone should learn to swim, but not me.

I used to have swimming lessons at school, and my dad took me to the baths twice a week. Each time I came home my mum would say ‘well can you swim yet? The answer was always NO. They did their best to ‘encourage me’ but to no avail.

In adulthood I even had swimming lessons, and in the end my tutor fired me!! He said ‘well you are the very first person I have not been able to teach, I can’t do any more to help you’.

I still can’t swim. I don’t know why. Perhaps it’s a mental block.

@partyparty Do you still have an interest in learning to swim? If so I would just keep going as the more you go the more comfortable you will feel in the water and I believe you will get the hang of it one day. I love to swim…it feels so good to glide through the water and is great exercise!

@Cruiser Yes I would love to be able to swim. My husband is a fantastic swimmer, it looks so natural for him. He ALSO has tried to teach me, again without success. I get in to the water, take my feet off the floor, start moving my arms, and I just sink ha ha!! Even I find that so amusing.

When I see people splashing about in the sea and having fun I feel so envious. Think it’s just not meant to be for me. (I can horse ride, skate & play tennis, but swimming has simply eluded me).

Thanks for your caring answer.