<p>bravaencore, thank you very much for sharing your article and I read it with great interest. It was very well written with great insights and, frankly, gave me a small nightmare. Your last sentence still ring in my ears: Moms, dont say I didnt warn you.</p>
<p>With regard to your reference about College is a match to be made, not a prize to be won. And asking outsiders about “what makes sense” and how colleges view EC’s is totally off-course. What they WANT to see is how YOUR DAUGHTER made decisions and what she learned from those decisions. … While I agree with the overall philosophy and I want my daughter to learn and make decisions for herself, she is simply too young (8th grade) to know where to gather the information and make these decisions. Its my job to help her and guide her and give her the information in order for her to make informed decisions on very important issues such as college and career choices. As far as EC, I realize that ballet is such long term commitment which is the reason I am looking down the road and want to know how she can balance ballet with school and possibly other ECs. And if she would to pick one EC which one is the most suitable for someone who is interested in academic pursue. </p>
<p>You stated Any signs of groupthink is viewed as a weakness. I don’t disagree but want to say that I value the input of helpful parents on CC (including yours). I dont just take a vote online and go with the result of gourpthink. I am more interested in peoples reasoning behind their suggestions. I then can use what I learn to help my daughter. Isnt that the whole point of being on CC?</p>
<p>I hope this doesnt come across as a rebuttal as that is not my intent. I just wanted to state how helpful CC parents have been for me since I really dont have such help from people around me.</p>