Unfortunately, that has pretty much always been the norm. Historically, families decided where a kid would go and what his profession woukd be since, like, forever. Kids used to be apprenticed at a young age and for the affluent, college choice was made by the family. Letting a teenager decide his or her future is a relatively recent development.
I'm not saying it's right, but historically, a child was an asset. We're only a generation or two away from when most marriages were still arranged by the families. There are a lot of 2nd or 3rd generation immigrants in my town and many of my friends' parents marriages were arranged.
I don't think it is a particularly healthy situation but a high percentage of athletic phenoms were pushed strongly by their fathers. Obviously, it is less common in inner city situations where the father may be absent, but many families spend a lot of money, time and effort in coaching, travel teams, etc to try to maximize a kid's athletic potential. I've seen some studies that suggest investing the money in a scholarship fund would be more cost effective than clinics, private coaching, AAU fees, etc. Too many parents live through their children and are hurt and surprised when the kids rebel and give up the sport.
