This story shows the struggling relationship between mother and daughter. Although the mother wants the daughter to be a great prodigy, the daughter wants to be her own person with her own personality.
I see this, not exact, but similar situation, in many families around me. In my opinion, as long as the child is doing great something useful and enjoyable with themselves then they are doing the right thing. I understand a parent wanting the best for their child but they also need to consider the child's choices, too. A parent cannot force a life onto their child/children and expect them to be happy.
Nickel and Dimed
Ehrenreich makes it obvious of the struggles that she faces with this “experiment”