My children should practise more!

 This may sound strange, but as a parent of  four music students, over a 20 year period, it never occurred to me to admonish my children for lack of practise or to force, coerce or guilt them to practising their instruments. Come to think of it I never heard my own parents admonish me or my four siblings over our lack of piano practise either.The most amazing thing I have heard, as a music teacher, is a parent saying they are going to withdraw their student from lessons because they are not practising enough at home.Amongst the many proven benefits to young children when learning a musical instrument lies a hidden gem: One-on-one time with a caring, attentive adult educator, trained in their area of expertise.You can't put a dollar value on that.When I add up all the hours of music teachers' time spent willingly encouraging, explaining, tutoring, coaching and supporting my children, I am extremely thankful that thay have been there for me and my family.If my child practises and improves at a much faster rate than expected, well that's great. If not, they still have a full life to live, and a very busy schedule with dance, swimming and sports activities.  If their practise routine doesn't meet my expectations, perhaps I might be missing something. Maybe I could come to lesson and find creative ways to support them at home in between lessons. What do you think?