<p>Had a tough time with this thread. </p>
<p>My youngest is definitely not one of those "self-driven" personalities. Actually, if left alone, I believe she would be perfectly content to spend all her time talking w/ friends and taking meaningless surveys on the computer, watching TV, reading, drawing, listening to music, "hanging" with friends, and shopping. Except for reading and drawing, perhaps, these are not exactly the types of activities which will help a college resume -- NOR her personal growth. So what does a parent do? I'm "dammed" if I push, as it is seen by others (as she) as nagging. </p>
<p>We discovered that friends are EVERYTHING, so sometimes I've corroborated with her friends' parents to suggest activates they can do together, but these are often short-lived. We've suggested, begged, and finally demanded that she try certain clubs or activities that seem to fit with her interests (library group, art group, etc.), by at least giving them a trial period. </p>
<p>So is this "laziness" on her part? Over-involved parenting on ours? </p>
<p>I think that the stage-mom syndrome is so loathed that even stepping in periodically on behalf of your child is sometimes perceived as such, when in reality it is just as neglectful to do nothing.</p>