<p>No, your job as a parent is to help your kid develop intellectually and socially so that they are a productive, fulfilled member of society. This means helping your kid find their intellectual interests and helping your kid find hobbies that will provide balance, joy, and stimulation in their lives – during childhood and as an adult. </p>
<p>If you have a kid who’s good at finding their own ECs, then your job is to either stand out of the way while they passionately pursue those ECs or to provide guidance in how they can pursue their ECs at a deeper level so they can learn about the world and their own capabilities. This could mean, for instance, encouraging a kid to run for student council if s/he has ideas and an interest in making the school a better place. It could mean encouraging a kid to write for the school paper or literary magazine if they enjoy writing. </p>
<p>It does not mean forcing your kid to do some activity to look good for college. It does not mean telling your kid what to write their essay about. If that’s what you learned from this thread, you are taking away the wrong lesson.</p>