My parents made me take music lessons as a kid. I refused to do the same to my own children.
My husband and I were forced to play instruments as kids. We took a different approach with our three children and they all happily play one.
The author shares her experience of not pushing her children to take music lessons, contrasting it with her own upbringing. She mentions that she began taking piano lessons in fourth grade, but she did not enjoy the mandatory practice sessions. Her husband also had a similar experience with the viola. As parents, they decided not to force their children into music lessons, instead waiting for them to express their own interest.
They let their children choose what they wanted to learn, which included the acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and drums. The author states that her children now enjoy playing musical instruments, and the experience has been more enjoyable for her as well. She feels like a spectator in the audience, cheering and encouraging her children rather than being the one nagging them to practice.
The author concludes by stating that taking music lessons off the parental to-do list has allowed her children to pursue their own interests and accomplishments, making her favorite part of parenting the ability to not have to be the practice police.
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