Lots of great discussion here and one of the things I see more and more of these days is the great focusing on “packaging” students for college admissions and focusing on the value added outcome of different choices, versus the enjoyment a high school student has from participating in athletics, artistic pursuits, taking certain classes etc.
If a kid is enjoying playing lacrosse, or playing the viola, or taking higher level math classes, that is great and they should be supported in these endeavors for the learning, experiences and sense of achievement and joy which they take away from these activities. But, often they are pushed to think about their passions through the lens of what this means for their college acceptances, or as an investment in the future. I have seen way too many families who have put in a ton of time, money, travel, sacrificing vacations etc. for sports in the pursuit of a leg up in admissions or athletic scholarship which may or may not be in the cards. But as long as the focus is on making sure that kids are having fun, learning to get along with teammates and learning some lessons about teamwork, resilience etc. I guess I don’t see it as a waste…so long as the focus is on the present rather than the future.
Both my kids were heavily involved in music when they were young and through high school, and we loves seeing their concerts and recitals throughout the years. Although neither of them continued with musical scholarship in college and it was definitely not a hook for them in the admissions process, I don’t think it was a waste of time for them or for us as parents. Son was a recruited athlete, daughter was not but I think they both enjoyed their time doing their different activities as young kids and hopefully the lessons the memories they made and the fun times they had will be as important as any life lessons.