Just thought I'd mention that as somebody who has been trying to learn C++ for a couple of months I think sticking with it is a big problem whichever language you use. I started learning a few years ago, then stopped, and now I'm trying again. It's really easy to get discouraged and sidetracked when you're starting out.
Seems to me like learning to program when you're young is a good idea though, generally. When you leave school there are a lot more soul-destroying jobs out there than programming. Even more depressing, it's not like those soul-destroying jobs actually benefit anyone apart from cynical management bots anyway..