I feel this in my bones! Actually quite literally. I was a gymnast and a very, VERY good track athelete (I had to dump one for the other eventually) and also a very good student and there was no such thing as quiiting. For my parents, it was, honestly about them, not me. My father had an honest desire and beleive that I shouldn't waste my "God given" talent becasue they'd be my ticket out fo pverty, racisim, etc. My mother, truth told, just wanted bragging rights and something to hold over the heads of others. That's what narcissists do, use kids to glorify themselves.

With my kids, I let them try anything and everything. Baseball, soccer, music, hockey, skateboarding, video production, whatever. And I had one rule, I pay for the term, say 8 weeks, you see it through. Don't like it after that? Cool. Next! Between the 3 of them, I think they tried almost everything. It's part of being a kid. Some stuff they sucked at. Other stuff, they were super talented.

My oldest son was a very talented muscian when he was young. He took to the violin like a duck to water. He did it for a year. Then he said he didn't like it any more. He had other interests, he was 10. He moved on. He's 32 now and after a career as a pharmaceutical chemist, he's returned to music and is a pretty successful rapper, YouTube personality and music producer. If I'd forced him to stick with music when he didn't want to, he may never have been able to love it. We don't love what we're forced into.

Your story should be required reading for parents. Children aren't here to fulfill the unresolved dreams of their parents or to shine some sort of light on them. Children are actual people, with their own minds, wants, desires, etc. parents need to learn it's not about them. I repeat. NOT. ABOUT. THEM.