conversation with Mrs. Music

Friday evening at one of 15's many musical lessons/rehearsals, I was talking first with another member of her group, and then the wife of the teacher.

Music Girl: My dad loves music so much. He wants all his kids to make an orchestra and play for him all the time.
Mrs. Music: Is he musical, too, then?
Music Girl: Oh, not at all. He just wants us to be. He's on us all to practice all the time.
Me: Really? I tend to wish 15 would practice less. And well, watch TV more. (To myself I am wondering why parents try to make their children do things that they don't do. I guess they're trying to help. But doesn't it feel to the kids like they are reliving their childhoods through the children? And isn't there hypocrisy in making kids take lessons when you don't? Adults can take music lessons, even if they've never learned before. Really, I know.)
Mrs. Music: So are any of your other children musical?
Me: Not really. A couple play, but 15 is the most talented and dedicated.
Mrs. Music: Boy, you're a harsh critic.
Me: (Shrugging) My other kids are going to make real money at real jobs, so I think in the end it will all work out.
Mrs. Music: You know, kids who are serious about music--that's one of the things that recruiters from Harvard are looking for.
Me: (Thinking, who cares about Harvard? I'm a Princeton girl myself--and wasn't all that impressed even with it) I'd never heard that before.
Mrs. Music: A number of my students have gotten into Harvard and some even majored in music performance, but then went on to Law School or Medical School. Doing music shows you can concentrate.
Me: (With a laugh) Could you tell 15 this? She is determined she will do music and only music. I think she would practice 10 hours a day but we tell her we have to have time for quiet.
Mrs. Music: Well, have to go now.

What in the world was I thinking when I talked like this? I guess I take pleasure in pricking other people's assumptions and playing the "bad mom," and perhaps 15 could get some sympathy out of this since she obviously has such uncaring parents. But I do get tired of people treating teenagers all the time like they are lazy. I just haven't seen that with my kids. They would work themselves into the ground every day unless I encouraged them to watch TV now and again. I know not all teenagers are like this, but still, there have to be others out there.

I wonder if parents see that what their kids are already doing is helping them to be fit for a job in the future. Yes, video games, too. My husband worked as a video game artist and programmer, and it pays quite well. (Hours suck, but that's true of a lot of computer programming jobs.) Also, why is it that we as parents are supposed to "make" our children do what is good for them? Why don't we figure out what they want for their futures and then help them make that possible? If your child doesn't love music, are those lessons really useful? I just don't believe in making kids practice if they aren't motivated to do it on their own. Music is lovely, but there is some weird cultural/historical thing going on that makes people think it is THE best way to make children into better people.