We’ve all seen Jo Frost, the Supernanny at work. If only we all had her tenacity, her enthusiasm and her motivation. She seems to identify the best and worst in children’s behavior and eliminate one while highlighting the other. Admirable indeed!
How to recognize your child’s talents
You can do that too; the key is in devoting concentrated, focused time on them in order to make that same identification. After all, Supernanny doesn’t spend a great deal of time with a new child, getting to know him or her. She waltzes in, hones in on the positive and negative and gets to work.
Every child is born with a set of talents and strengths that should be nurtured. To bring up a well-rounded child who approaches life with enthusiasm and a positive attitude, it’s your job to encourage those qualities. At least once a day, put down your cleaning products, leave the vacuum cleaner aside, turn the television off, stop chasing your tail and just watch.
Watch how your little one plays, how he interacts with other family members and how he carries himself. Listen to the words he uses, see how interested he is in reading, music, colors, animals, textures and any other element that seems to compel him.
How many times have you heard that a famous musical artist was performing for family members at age three? Best selling authors have often grown up writing prolifically, whether on napkins, the backs of greeting cards or even their hand. Scientists are likely to have had a great need to investigate the way things work or how they are made.
Keep expectations neutral
Still, just because you discover something that your child does more than other things, doesn’t mean he will be meant for a profession in a related field. What’s important is that you encourage the things that come naturally to him and this will lead to a desire for learning and an enjoyment of achievement.
So if your two-year old is conducting experiments with his mashed potatoes and peas and catapulting them into the air using a spoon, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to be a rocket scientist. It could mean, however, that he has a terrific sense of humor or a deep creativity, each that deserve to be fostered and encouraged at every opportunity.