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I don't think it's the same thing. My parents signed me up for English classes when I was very young. They made me go twice a week, even when I was tired of sch

I don't think it's the same thing. My parents signed me up for English classes when I was very young. They made me go twice a week, even when I was tired of school already. It sucked, some times, but it was just two hours a week and it was far from making me miserable or anything like that. It has actually proved to be an extremely valuable skill in my adult life. It's different to make a kid take piano lessons than to force them to practice every day because you've decided their career should be piano virtuoso. I think it's the same with programming, it can be a very useful skill, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to teach it to your kids as long as you don't force them or make them miserable.

zarzavat 4y ago
I came from a family of musicians and so my parents wanted me to learn an instrument from a young age, and yes they did force me to practice every day. In the end, I learned a skill that has given me a lot of enjoyment in my adult life. Personally, the end was worth the means. Kids spend a lot of time being forced to learn things in school. I didn’t perceive having to practice an instrument each day as worse than having to attend PE class. Are there counter-examples? As a kid in that sphere I met many other kids who were very good at music. I never met any who hated playing music but I did meet many who were not that interested in the classical music they were playing. Many played other kinds of music in their “free time”. I’d say it’s fine to teach your kid to be a piano virtuoso, as long as it’s the piano and not (say) the violin or cello, because cello virtuoso is a non-transferable skill, whereas piano can be transferred to whatever genre they eventually end up liking.