Reply #9: Aux contraire.

[No.23]

I'm getting the impression that there are very few parents here who have taken their children to gymnastic or ice skating lessons.

I have. And the parents can be brutal. I mean really brutal.

They can be so demanding of their kids, that it brought tears to my eyes many times.

More often than not, it's the parents who are fiercely competitive, not the kids. The kids just want to have fun.