Its a really interesting and challenging stage. How to best support your child, encourage them, guide them, yet leave them space to follow their path??!?! Its hard, but ultimately it will work out in the end.
Something we read a while back, which may help… or may confuse!
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My younger son tried guitar and piano, but didn’t last long with either before the lure of video games got him.
I think with guitar the school only had them play chords which his little hands struggled with especially when he didn’t liked getting his nails cut. That and we thought they needed an acoustic only to find out they used 3/4 size electric at school. I played along with him a few times but he didn’t seem that enthused.
He had some piano lessons and had a keyboard for home practice. He was really excited and seemed to enjoy it for a while but then theory and scales came along and he got bored quick.
It honestly seemed that the more we encouraged, the less he wanted to play.
My older son tried guitar a little bit but I didn’t really know what to show him at the time and made the mistake of getting upset when his inquisitive mind opened up my guitar case and put finger prints all over it.
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I don’t have any children, but I clearly remember how it was to be a child (which I much prefer to being an adult!!!).
My parents made all mistakes they could make in raising me, especially my father. He tried to push me into things and for him I was never good enough in anything.
So I did exactly the contrary of what my father wanted.
I cannot say, that he was right in most things, being 57 and looking back now…
My grandfather was exactly the opposite: he did cool stuff, let me participate and for me the greatest stuff was doing all the “nonsense” he did.
He was technical, philosophical, an artist, a poet in his own way and generelly weird (according to my grandmother ^^).
He is directly responsible for all the good stuff I did. My father is directly responsible for all the bad stuff I did - my failures…
So bottom line: don’t push your child to things he doesn’t want. It will backfire!
Just be passionate, playful and positive about your stuff, and if it matches, he will get to it too…
But I could be wrong 
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Five months on…
He had a recital last night, first one for guitar.
He was the last on, all the others did small snippets.
His bit was all of Californication accompanied by a backing track with the guitar removed.
He played the rhythm part and the solo.
Nailed it!
Even got applause after the solo like it was a jazz gig
Woot!
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