Parents must look for and cultivate our children’s innate gifts, talents, and strengths.
We need to do some detective work and appreciate each child for what is acceptable and culturally valued in our society and for a child’s real abilities. We need to ask ourselves the following questions:
What does my child love to do? What comes easy to him/her?
To help us further, we can look at a list of different bits of intelligence that humans can possess. Think about which one your child exhibits and look for ways to foster your child’s unique talents in these areas:
Visual/Spatial: Artist, Navigator, Architect
Verbal/Linguistic: Journalist, Teacher, Lawyer
Logical/Mathematical: Accountants, Computers, Engineers
Interpersonal: Salesperson, Mental Health Professional, Politician
Intrapersonal: Researcher, Novelist, Entrepreneur
Musical/Rhythmic: Musician, Composer, DJ
Naturalist: Farmer, Botanist, Environmentalist
Existential: Philosopher, Theorist
Bodily/Kinesthetic: Athlete, Firefighter, Actor
Children need to know that they are loved themselves. They need to be cherished and valued for their natural abilities and strengths. Promoting their interests in areas they love and those that come easy will help them shine. We cannot underestimate the power of being our child’s biggest fan and supporter. When children’s strengths are fostered by their parents, children learn to be independent, responsible, and, most importantly, resilient human beings.
Prepare kids for life and check out my book, Parenting Simply, for more parenting techniques to help raise resilient and responsible adults.