I am not sure I agree 100%. As kids growing up, they have a lot of influences -- good and bad. They can get lazy. How do they know what they want to do? How do they know what they "love?" As parents, isn't our role to provide guidance and motivation to persevere? Don't we have more knowledge and experience than they do (even though he thinks I am stupid)? Now I am not talking about forcing a kid to do something he doesn't want to do. I am not talking about going overboard. I am talking about that gentle nudge to continue on his path of success. I don't want him to suffer the consequences of laziness.
Totally agree with you Golfman. Our job as parents are to help guide our kids. Would most kids do homework without our "guidance"? There are many who would, especially as they get older and more mature, but at the younger ages (up to 14 or so) - probably not. There's a fine line between "guidance" and forcing kids to do something they're no longer interested in, but I think most of us will recognize that once it's obvious.