Brian Johnson argues kids stick with sports and activities because they enjoy them, not to win. Excessive pressure and structure kill that fun and make them quit. Carol Dweck's research shows love for an activity drives mastery, not pressure.
You gotta know that when kids quit their sporting activities or whatever else, the number one reason is they stop having fun. The number one reason why kids play sports is not winning. They have fun playing sports. Imagine that. We squeeze out the fun. And Brendon says, that's a huge mistake. The fun needs to be the foundation. And in our own house, you know, with our kids, when Emerson was getting into chess, I brought in a little bit too much of the structure too early on. So we made sure that, and Emerson just loves chess. And again, all the research shows, not just that study, but Carol Dweck, the whole idea of the growth mindset versus the fixed mindset. The best in any field love what they do. Absolutely love it. The ones who try to win and they're not really in love with the thing they're doing. So keeping joy, keeping fun central for our kids is huge. That's how you raise the player, not the pressure.
