I wish that my parents would have forced me to go to Violin practice.
I remember very clearly my Mom signing me up for lessons and at first I was happy to go until some kids told me that the Violin was a “geek” instrument.
I can play it a little because I was going to the lessons Wednesdays and Saturdays for up to 3 hours for almost 5 months but I told my Mother that I didn’t want to go to practice anymore and I refused to get in the car to go to practice, then after a few times of refusing to go to practice my Father told my Mom not to waste her money on taking me to Violin lessons. I gave it up for what; so I could play more Video games with my friends?
Now my brother who is 14 actually stuck with it and is really good, he played “Flight of the Bumble Bee” at his recital it sounded soooo tight, and he is not a Geek.
I am somewhat jealous that he can play it so well because I should have stayed with it because the Violin is actually a pretty cool instrument. Then I saw my old Violin teacher at the recital and it was so awkward because the last time I saw her I was such a jackass to her.
After Violin practice was out of the way I did end up sticking with some stuff, like Drums, Hip Hop 101 and Basketball.
So now I can play the drums but I’m average at best and I’m pretty good at basketball but not very tall so I doubt I will be in the NBA and I can breakdance but that will probably only last me until I am in my early 30’s so I wish that my Mom would have dragged me kicking and screaming so that I could have learned to play the Violin.
I don’t know if I can narrow it down to a single task I wish they had forced me to do, but I damn sure with they had instilled a greater work ethic.
Yes, it’s their fault I’m lazy. :dubious:
I’m with you, START. I wish my parents had gotten me into music at a young age. Now that I’m older I try but it’s so much harder now.
That and I wish they’d pushed me a bit better in sport. Again, I’m trying to do everything I can now that I am older but I wish I had a lot more exposure as a kid.
I’m also a little anti-social at times which I think would have also been solved in sport.
Speak French. Hell, it’s my father’s native language. Unfortunately, he was worried that growing up with two languages would stunt my progress in both and only used English.
Of course, if they’d **forced ** you to do it, perhaps you wouldn’t have had the motivation to do it well anyway.
That isn’t necessarily true you know. I know two very good musicians who both credit their mothers with forcing them to attain a certain level of proficiency before they could quit. By the time they had reached the required grade on piano they had both become keenly desired musicians by the guitarists at school and both still play.
I was forced by my parents to learn to swim, for safety reasons, and although I recall hating reaching the standard they required, by the time I had I loved swimming and swam competitively for some years.
I wish they had forced me into learning an instrument.
Now, don’t get me wrong. My parents forced me into dancing, speaking my own language, being less shy, writing thank-you notes, etc., etc…the list goes on and I am grateful for every one of them, but…
I still wish I had learned an instrument. And learned to sing. I don’t think I’d ever be a good singer, but at least I would have trained my voice a little.
My parents kind of forced me into learning the piano. I say ‘kind of’ because the day we bough a piano my mom asked me, “Would you like to learn how to play the piano?” and I said, “yes” and that kicked off seven years of lessons. :smack: Whenever I said I hated it and want to stop, my mom reminded me that I was the one who wanted to do this all along. I was convinced she only had me take lessons so she could impress her family and friends. I was a pretty defiant and stubborn 7 year old boy, but my mom fought this by being even more stubborn than I was, which simply wore me down to the point of “Fine, whatever, I don’t care” and played the damn piano since
I’m really glad she forced it on me, though, because I wouldn’t have stuck with it for so long (the same goes for college). I’m no virtuoso at it, but I have gotten to the point where I can teach other children how to play, which is a pretty fun job.
I’d say the only thing I wished my parents did was force me to try for AP/Honors classes in High School (I certainly could have done well in them with enough motivation) and take college classes in High School at a point where I’d only have to pay for the book and not the tuition. With both of those put together, I probably would’ve been done with college a semester or two earlier.
I don’t know so much about wishing my parents had forced me to do something they didn’t but I am so glad they forced me to do some of the things I learned to do. Such as, writing thank you notes and learning how to properly write notes for other occasions such as congratulatory and sympathy notes and letter. I’m glad they forced me to learn basic table manners. I’m glad they taught me the difference between inside and outside voices. I’m glad my mother took the time to teach my brothers and me to cook. Overall, I’m glad they took the time to instill some sense of civil behavior in me. Even when I don’t act right, I know it’s not because I don’t know any better.
Go to the dentist and stay in school, both of which I had to go back and fix in my adult life. Now look at my smile!
I wish they had forced me to get braces for my teeth. Yeah, I can do it now, but it would be nice if it was already done.
College.
There were several family issues that came to a head around the time that I graduated from high school and these took my parents’ attention. Mom encouraged me when I went to school a few years later, but I wish they had pushed me into a college right after high school.
floss
learn an instrument
START, what’s stopping you from taking up the violin again?
You say that as if you have to prepare for a career after your breakdancing job is done.
I wished they’d forced me to take up a musical instrument (particularly electric guitar or drums, but that probably wouldn’t have been their choice ). I took organ lessons (briefly) and trumpet in grade-school band (even more briefly) but when I wanted to quit they caved quickly and let me. I wish they’d pushed me harder, because it would make learning music now, many years later, easier.
I also wish they’d have signed me up for some sort of physical-fitness type activity (soccer, martial arts, whatever). I hated PE when I was a kid and ended up gaining a lot of weight through college and after that I’ve only lost in the past couple of years.
I’m surprised the common thing among many dopers here is music. I never realized so many people regretted their prarents didn’t push them more in favor of it. That actually makes me feel really happy that I did not give up at the piano, even though there were many times when I was tempted.
As a side note, I’m a piano teacher myself. A lot of times when I get quits, it is because the parents tell me their child doesn’t want to take lessons anymore. When I ask them how they feel, they meekly confess that they don’t want to force their child to do anything. While I wouldn’t wish a childhood full of misery on anyone, I think the parents are forgetting where they stand in this matter. THEY are the rulemakers, not the child. They establish policy, and the child follows it. The real flip-floppers this past election were not presidential candidates, they were parents who told their child they were going to take piano lessons for a year, then cave 2 months later when the child whines that he/she doesn’t want to spend a mere thirty minutes a day practicing/taking lessons :mad:
I’m *glad my parents pushed me into piano (I minored in it in college, even) and to the orthodontist. Good job, folks, although I sure hated you at the time.
I wish they’d pushed me into sports or athleticism of some kind. I think I might have a healthier attitude toward competition and be better coordinated and healthier now.
I wish my mom forced me to keep learning the piano. But she was the one teaching me and says that she’s too impatient to be a teacher.
I wish my parents had encouraged (not forced) me more to go to martial arts lessons.
I wish teachers had told me that one day I might wish I had joined the school cricket team.