Piano competitions

The children played in a piano competition today. They both did very well, My daughter came second in both her classes and my son got a commended in both of his. (It was his first competition too).

Piano competitions are strange places, you get all the children who go to fee paying schools there in their school uniforms, which can be quite intimidating when they are there en mass. Then at the other end of the scale, you have the likes of us wierdos who are home educating and therefore have so much more time for the kids to practice.

I still find it very odd how people raise their eyebrows when I say the children are entering piano competitions. As though this immediately makes me a pushy mother. Normally these are the same people that are horrified that my children do not take part in team sports due to home education - because how will they find that competitive edge.
I have stopped pointing out to these people the idiocy of their logic.

My children enter piano competitions because they enjoy it. They obviously get nervous beforehand, but my daughter was saying how she has learnt to deal with situations where she is nervous by being able to do it at these competitions in a safe environment. (Ok, she didn't quite use those words, but that is what she was saying).

So in short, yes they do competitive piano playing, no I'm not a pushy parent, and sometimes these situations can be good for children.