Re: the sports analogy, only in Little League does everybody get to play. (We don't want to discourage the little darlings, so everyone's effort is good enough. It's not about winning, so everyone gets an equal chance.) As you get older, only the better players make the team.
It's great to give our S "Little League" encouragement. But eventually it takes more than just WANTING to play. Higher levels of play require the maturity of skills and abilities. And the player who wants to CONTINUE to play does the work (practice, gain more knowledge, seek help from others) to avoid being cut by the coach.
