“ Worry never added a single hour to anybody’s life.” So true indeed Arvind! But certainly a mantra us parents forget in our zeal to do the best for our kids. The dilemma you point to is universal I feel. We want our kids to be successful and in that zeal expose them to as many sports, activities and hobbies as possible, least they miss out!

In that process, we forget sometimes the need for your “hands-off’ approach, the need for space, and the need to evolve on their own.

I suppose this is an age old dilemma, although certainly exacerbated in this 21st century age of nuclear families, where parental attention is more focused on their kids than it used to be say, even 30–40 years ago! Is this a good thing or bad? Hard to say! You want to do the best, yet not smother the kid.

And as you rightly said, what if the child has a talent but doesn’t develop it “in time”? That is every parents’ (here comes the “w” word!) worry! I have to admit that is exactly the thought that keeps me worried about my daughter. I feel (like I’m sure many parents do) that she should get a chance to experience many activities, so she can ascertain what she’s “good at” (not that you need to be even, really; one could engage in *any* activity purely for the joy of it, independently of one’s “skill level” in it!).

What is the golden happy medium — between being a helicopter parent and a completely “hands-off” approach (not there is ever going to be any such thing :-))? Ah, that is the (hundred) million dollar question!