Do you ever wonder if you/your DC would have been exceptional at something if they'd done it since they were young?

[Placio]

I've been thinking about how so often you hear pop stars who have been dancing since they could walk, skiiers who learned as toddlers, horse riders who have always grown up around horses.

I was watching something on cbbc where kids teach other kids to do things like kayaking or rock climbing etc and often they've been doing it since such a young age that obviously it was their parents decision to start it.

I guess until children are old enough to ask to try things, most parents have them doing whatever they enjoy too, but it does get me wondering.

If my childhood was different would I have been exceptional at archery or volleyball or chess? I mean probably not but who knows right? Of all the many many hobbies including the niche ones, perhaps you'd have been one of the best in the world if you'd been doing it since you could walk.

Possibly. Most young kids are only dragged to whatever their parents decide for them - be it taekwondo, gymnastics or whatever. You still need some talent but unless you're dragged there from an early age how would you know.

For volleyball, the biggest asset is height. Most don't start until at least age 11 and there are some England juniors who didn't start until their mid teens. It's a small scene in the UK, but growing, so anyone who is expecting their kids to be tall and bouncy, with ambitions to play for England, should check out their local club.

I often wonder just how many people there are out there who would have been world-class at something. But they will never know, because they have never tried it.

There are loads of sports and other activities I've never tried. I could be brilliant at archery, or jousting, or stonemasonry, or batik, but I've never had the opportunity to do any of those things. Perhaps I should start!

A friend grew up in Switzerland and learnt to ski from 18months old. As an adult he is a very good but not world class skier. Never competed. However, if he'd had world-class talent and wanted to compete it would have been spotted when he was school aged.

On the flipside I know of Olympic level rowers and cyclists who only tried their sport for the first time whilst at university and became world class within 5-8 years.

So I'd say you could become very good at almost anything by starting young, but being exceptional requires talent, luck, genetics, coaching, funding etc as well.

Rebecca Adlington came to my kids school and told them that when she was in year 5 she wasn't the best swimmer, she wasn't even one of the top three swimmers at the school. But she was the one who persisted, long after the others dropped out to enjoy normal teen life.

She was very honest about the sacrifices made by the whole family, and I was rather glad neither of mine have ever shown elite sport potential!