Many parents have dreams about what their children should look like as adults and what their careers should be – some people who can’t wait to start a family think of those things even before the child is nothing more than a fetus.
As a parent, I must say that it’s difficult to find a balance between having expectations and wishing only the best for your kids. Although it comes from the brightest part of your heart, setting standards for your kid based on your vision and not on reality and their abilities will only create an area of pressure.
Not being able to meet your standards will cause a line of frustrations for your children, and that’s something you definitely don’t want to do. Every parent should do their best in order to create a healthy environment in which their child can grow and develop healthily.
But that’s not the only thing you should do – helping your child discover their talents should be on the top of every parent’s priority list, and here’s why.
1. A Supporting and Loving Environment
I know you want your child to excel in every area of their life, but you won’t be able to do anything right if you press your own aspirations onto them. If you manage to find a healthy approach that is pressure free in order to learn more about your child’s natural abilities, you’ll create a very supportive environment for them.
This is the part when you should play detective a bit – your child may show affinities toward an area of art for example, but you should be aware of the fact they won’t be able to create a master-piece right away. So, your job is to notice their interest and talent, and continue to direct them the right way.
2. Major Confidence Boost
Children have issues with confidence because they are surrounded with unfamiliarities – everything they encounter requires from them to go through a learning process. If you do manage to discover a talent of theirs at an early age, your child will be aware of the fact they are good at something, perhaps even before they start school. Something like this will make them feel certain about their skills, which is a great confidence booster.
3. Skills Development
The most efficient way to discover your kid’s talents is to expose them to various activities – enable them to explore their space by giving them a ball to play with, or equip them with coloring books and see if their talent is perhaps connected to painting, or play some music and let them express their vocal skills.
This sort of change of environment needs to be done slowly and, when your child is rested and energized, you’ll help him or her develop a whole set of skills at an early age – motor, cognitive, and social – while you’re working on discovering their talents.
4. Increased Chances for Success
As your child grows, they will be able to focus on their interest for one simple reason – because they are aware of them. Many kids wander around until college, and some continue to dwell on their choice of career even after that. You’ll be able to prevent this kind of delay and waste of time if you help them to figure out what they can do.
I’m sure you’re familiar with Maddie Ziegler’s success – now, she’s a teen and a brilliant dancer, an aspiring actress and a great singer, and she’s only fourteen. Obviously, she’s more successful not only when compared to her peers but to a significant number of adults, as well.
If you create such surroundings for children, where they can develop properly, and you provide them with all the necessities they require in order to work on their talent, you’ll affect their chances for success in a very positive manner.
5. The Most Important Investment You’ll Ever Make
Raising a child is difficult, especially in this modern age. There’s a ton of tutorials and books on how to turn your child into a healthy independent adult, and I believe that each parent should read everything there is to know about this subject, so that you can apply only what seems to be the smartest method, according to your instincts. After all, your child is the most important investment you’ll ever make – at least that’s one way of looking at it.
The only thing you need to remember about this is not to force your child to do anything. I’m not suggesting that you should allow them to become a quitter, but if they give you good reasons why they don’t want to be involved in particular activities, give them room to continue with their exploration. Calculate your moves, always give your decisions a second thought, and you and your family should be just fine – more than that, actually.
Featured photo credit: https://www.pexels.com/u/markusspiske/ via pexels.com
