Shamelessly stealing this post from reddit because it’s a really cool story:
Context - László Polgár, a Hungarian educational psychologist, conducted an experiment to prove that exceptional talent is developed through intensive education and training, not innate ability. He believed in his theory so strongly that he sought a partner willing to raise children under this philosophy. Polgár wrote to Klára, a Ukrainian teacher, explaining his ideas and proposing marriage as a collaboration in this experiment. Intrigued, Klára agreed, and they married, later raising their three daughters—Susan, Sofia, and Judit—as chess prodigies. From a young age, the girls were immersed in chess and rigorous intellectual training The experiment was a success: all three became world-class chess players, with Judit Polgár widely regarded as the greatest female chess player in history.
- Posted here by /u/heroking4
If I were one of the kids I would feel taken advantage of
I know there are lots of gymnasts, musicians, ballet dancers, olympic athletes, etc. that probably feel that exact way, although I’m sure many also are grateful to have had the guidance. It probably depends on how much the kids enjoyed the game vs feeling pressured.
I’ve read some about how fiercely competitive Judit was as a kid - demanding to play against the boys because she didn’t like that everyone expected her to play in the women’s leagues. She’s incredible and is living proof that women can achieve the same level of play as men (which sounds obvious today, but she became a GM 30 years ago).
Oh no, my parents made me a genius.
Pass the pop tarts.
Parents made you a genius by basically denying you a childhood you should have had, as an experiment, teaching you one of the most useless thing possible - playing an old boardgame.