The fruits are reaped when they (me!) get older. Like I mentioned in another comment, I can play along to a song I like, play a song that is a certain memory, jam with friends at a whim.
Those are not things I necessarily wanted to do when I was a kid. But the "forced" practice was required as a foundation to do what I want to today.
You can do any of those things without learning to read music. Ask me how I know
He could have learned to play from a teacher that doesn't teach reading music, for example.
A valuable life skill if you want to ever have a job or get paid.
Honestly, I wish I had been taught that lesson early, so as to internalize it profoundly.
Even with a lot of discipline and self-control, going through each and every day without mind-altering substances at hand is pretty dang difficult.
If you live in the bubble where you experience this, congratulation you live a wonderfully privileged life, never interact with anyone or are totally oblivious to the experiences of all the people you interact with on a daily basis.
But also, many people choose to do something they hate so they earn more money. They could be just as privileged and choose not to, just so they can compete with the Joneses and consume more...
There are things in life that you won't enjoy but you need to do. Learning to do them anyway is in fact a life skill.
I've seen people follow their dreams into careers they chose because they wanted them, despite those careers not being paid well. They're all at least as miserable as the average person, because what they enjoyed is now work, and they don't have money for anything they now enjoy.
"Do whatever makes you happy" is a life plan for the financially independent. Most people simply don't have that luxury.
Sure, I see your point. I guess what it comes down to is: what percentage of your life do you spend doing that?
If you don't like doing laundry, then don't start a laundry service business.
Sometimes you have to eat a shit sandwich.
Or you can reach for the sandwich.
Sure, once I was playing it, I was fine, but I cannot explain to you the sheer dread I felt opening up the case.
Have not played in decades, despite all those lessons and concerts and orchestra sessions.
But I'm glad for it, since it lets me jam or enjoy myself without having to put the practice in now from scratch. I do it for fun.
Even the smell of tree resin sometimes makes my stomach tighten with anxiety.
And yes practicing will result in them getting better.
I was briefly made to play violin as a child, and I definitely hated it (fortunately my parents recognized this and didn't push too hard). The reason is in retrospect obvious: violins are loud and piercing and played close to the ear. Nobody considered hearing protection back then. I learned recorder as an adult and the loud notes can exceed 100dB(A) measured at the ear (both alto and soprano recorders, and recorders have very limited dynamics). Violins seem to be at least as loud. I would hate to play without hearing protection no matter how skilled I become.
Even in instruments where you can more easily play softly like a piano, the design for loudness can cause suffering. Pianos are much bigger than they need to be now that we have amplification, with correspondingly wide and finger-straining keys. Steel string guitars are louder than nylon but hurt more to play (and even nylon can hurt depending on your individual hand size and shape). I expect there are many children suffering hand/finger pain from being forced to play various instruments and genuinely hating it regardless of their skill level.
When a child hates something, there's often a good reason for it that isn't obvious and that they don't have the communication skills to explain.