Driven for the Wrong Reasons?

I have to say that I was surprised by the reaction to today's story about the Morrisons, who send the three oldest of their five children to different high schools tailored to their athletic specialties. The way the Morrisons see it, the kids have a better chance of receiving college scholarships if they excel in sports.

Five kids, five college tuitions. Sounds like something I'd try to get out of paying, too. Good idea, right?

youngj1: Kudos to the Morrison family it looks as if they've found a formula that works for them. A truly American story!

RedBird27: It's nice to see a family that works together.

bbcrock: This is what it takes to succeed.

That's just about where the lovefest ends and the backlash begins. According to the vast majority of commenters, the Morrisons are doing it all wrong.

sparks3: No it is not what it takes to succeed. My kids all have academic scholarships to college, full rides, because they BALANCED sports and other school and community activities with 4.0+ GPAs. They all are active in school sports, have black belts in various martial arts, participated in leadership opportunities at their schools and they all went to the same Prince Georges County public high school. And I didn't drive myself crazy or into the poor house to do it.

Did your kids find a cure for the common cold and win the Nobel Peace Prize, too? Otherwise, you're not impressing anyone, sparks.

Helenna: Heck no you don't have to do all this -- what a joke! I went to a top college, all 4 years of tuition paid for by (non-need based)scholarship. But it was an acedemic (not "sports" scholarship).

reiflame1: Huh, that's odd. I went to a public high school in NY, got a half-tuition scholarship to a great school (Case Western), graduated with below-average debt and have been successful since I graduated. According to the Post, I shouldn't have been able to do that with only a public school education and no team sports!

Why is everyone so needy today? Sheesh. Virtual pat on the back for Helenna and reiflame for succeeding without sports.

plpenelope: I hate to be a naysayer, but the more than $100/day this family spends on gas alone is actually equivalent to, or more expensive than the daily cost of tuition at a premier private college.

youarejerks1: I'm not sure what this is about, but it's not about success. They could have put the thousands of dollars spent on tuition, leagues, and gas into the bank and easily paid for college for these kids.

jmccas: There are tax deferred/tax exempt ways to save for college. Start one up at the birth of each child and regularly contribute to it instead of throwing your money away

If the Morrisons are interested in hiring a financial advisor, they need look no further than these comments.

commentator3: What does this lifestyle teach these children? That they are the center of the universe. Just shameful.

talargain13: Washington Post I implore you to stop publishing these stories! The students in this area are under enough stress without you giving their parents suggestions of how to further rob them of their all too short childhoods. As a woman considering motherhood, I have to admit that these stories only sadden me. At what point does this family get the chance to be a family?

Here's the way I see it, and please feel free to tell me how very wrong I am (ugly and stupid, too!):

This story depicts a different way of life, and that's why it's interesting. Parents can raise their children however they see fit. Talargain, if you decide to have kids, you can dress your whole family in matching outfits and play Pictionary every night.

ColumbiaRd_SportsGuru: These parents are doing their best for their children to succeed at what they are good at, so why chastise them? Isn't every parent's dream for their children to be better off than them?

What do you think? Do the Morrisons deserve the criticism, or are they just doing what they think is best for their kids?

By Lindsay Applebaum |  May 14, 2008; 3:25 PM ET  | Category:  High Schools
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