My up/down relationship with the guitar started when I was 2. That was when I asked my dad to teach me. I have no memory of doing this but I suppose it's true. I have two boys who were once that age and I know you can't make a kid that young do anything it doesn't want to!
My main gripe with the guitar has always been the amount of time I needed to practice. I don't really know how much other flamenco-based guitarists put in but I've always had to do 6 hours a day minimum to be really good.
That's where I figure the dividing line is . . . how long can you keep that kind of focus? A few months. A year? A lifetime?!!? I can keep it up for a few years at a time . . . and then I fold.
Trouble is, when I fold and lose interest it usually lasts just long enough for me to need to start all over again with the crazy hours of scales, etc. My fingers don't seem to retain enough dexterity for me to get back into high gear easily. I'm forever starting from scratch again.
I hate this. I hate that the guitar requires this of me. I've yelled at my guitar and hands many times.
So now I'm finally doing what I've often threatened my lifelong companion/mistress/taskmaster with . . . singing. The guitar has become an accompaniment to my voice. No longer do I let it rule my life and time . . . but as you can probably tell - I feel guilty.