Fox is quick to say that he doesn't advocate returning to the good ol' days. Those days are gone and in many ways, fortunately so. But the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction. A person's character tends to rise to the level that it is forced to. If someone else is always there to cater to you or there to listen to your excuses, your character can get stymied.
Difficult circumstances produce tough people with the tools to meet the required challenges.
All of these factors can hinder a player's development of mental toughness. And, most importantly, for people reading this, you need to apply these thoughts to yourself and your child, at whatever level of play. I have said this a thousand times and I will say it again, the champions are the players who are better mentally, not necessarily physically. Physical talents such as hand-eye coordination, foot speed and fast reflexes are cheap commodities. Champions have confidence in their own ability to meet and conquer adversity.