My son is 9 years old. He has shown no particular skill with anything - sports, hobbies, arts; and he's not a very good student. Worse, he runs away from anything that is challenging. So it is a constant struggle to get him to try or practice anything. Which leads me to this: we've got him in piano. He's been taking lessons for 2.5 years, and he hates it. When he practices, he's not bad, BUT getting him to practice is a nightly battle. He screams, yells, runs away, and sometimes physically lashes out when it is time to practice. It's gotten to the point that his mom and I are just ready to give up and give in. The arguments and the anger are just not worth it. (And of course, letting him quit would save us $35.00 a week.) But then I think of the value of piano, how it benefits kids in all areas of their lives. We also know that kids, particularly ours, need a discipline, any discipline, something that requires attention, focus, and practice, if, for no other reason than to keep them from becoming lazy video-game-addled slugs. Again, if my son showed any interest or willingness to pursue something else, we would consider taking him out of piano. But he doesn't. So we're stuck. What to do?
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