T.S.
Be careful about what your agenda might be when signing him up. If this is about what you think he should be doing then try and shift to what he would like to do. Also, let go of what "others" have done or are doing. We have a tendency to try and protect our children from "bad" experiences instead of supporting them by giving them tools to deal with whatever life offers to them.
Talent isn't always defining. My son (now a junior in HS) is an extremely talented dancer. He just started ballroom dancing two and a half years ago and is a natural dancer. (I just want to add that he is the one that initiated the dancing classes) He enjoyed dancing so much that he decided he wanted to try out for the Denver School of the Arts. He auditioned and got in. He spent the entire summer taking ballet knowing that many of the kids he would be learning with had been dancing since they were little. His instructor made it clear that he was gifted and could go really far.
He spent an amazing year at DSA. He loved the dancing. However, the school and dance environment were not a fit for his personality. He chose to go back to the high school he attended for his freshman year and is thriving.
Yes, it is so hard to know that he is a gifted dancer and is choosing to not follow that and goodness knows a lot of his fellow dancers would give anything for that kind of innate talent. However, he was extremely thoughtful and mature about realizing what would really make him happy.
My son is still doing his ballroom dancing and choosing to be well-rounded and participate in his school activities and in the drama club. I have learned that sometimes we need to trust our children to know what they need most and that we need to question the long held belief that if you have a natural talent or gift that you must follow that no matter what.
