But there can be too much of a good thing, Gibbs says. “How do we allow children to pursue a serious endeavor and still allow them to be healthy children?” he asks. Every decent parent, at one time or another, confronts that dilemma. There is no single right answer. Parents need to make choices, and they need to examine their motives honestly –whether it’s a decision about school or music lessons or religious training. Dr.Jim Pivarnik, an exercise physiologist at Texas Children’s Hospital, says parents need to “ make sure it’s for the kid and not for them. Look in the mirror and ask: ‘Do they love to do it, or do they love to do it because I love it when they do?’”