Embrace the kid you’ve got
We all have big dreams for our kids, but it’s important to recognize every child is unique with their own ambitions, desires, and goals.
Embracing the kid you’ve got means trying our best to silence what we think (and more often, what society tells us) is the definition of success. It means letting go of comparisons to the kid next door, your best friend’s daughter or even the child you imagine your son to be
Sit back and observe
It can be tempting to sign your son up for sports because you played in high school, or to get your daughter involved in arts because you once had ambitions of playing a role in theaters. But it’s important to be alert to what our kids are interested in and gravitate towards naturally.
Make observations, seek out materials and supplies that can help your child explore their interests further. It might also make sense to sign your child up for a class. Talk to your child about the classes available in your area and go into them with the attitude that this is merely a way to find out if your child is interested in pursuing the activity further.
Set them free
Parents can feel pressure to load up kids’ schedules with multiple classes, clinics, and practices to see which one sticks. But one of the best ways for kids to discover what they love is to have the freedom and time to simply explore.
It’s through exploration that your kids will stumble upon their interests. While structured activities have their place, giving kids ample downtime will let them develop a sense of wonder – to think about what it is they’re most interested in when it’s up to them to decide.
Unstructured play benefits kids in many ways beyond just discovering what they enjoy doing.
Don’t expect too much too soon
Sure there are maestro violinists who began studying at age four but not everyone will or needs to find their passion in childhood.
In fact, research shows that kids aren’t developmentally ready to reflect and think about their future until the middle school years. So until kids reach that milestone, simply try to expose them to different activities and then take an interest in what interests them.