As a busy parent, it can seem difficult to pay attention to much when there is just so much you need to achieve. Trying to keep everything afloat in the household becomes one of the biggest challenges, but you also have to remember that you’ve got to spend that quality time with your child, focusing on the things that will cultivate passions in their lives, and also provide those sturdy foundations in which they will live their lives. It can be so easy for us to think about just giving them the basics, but the younger generations are more focused on following their passions than ever. Arguably, the older generations aren’t so focused on passion because they had to provide. But however old you are, finding the passions in your life can enrich it. So what can you do to help your child recognize their passions but also ensure that you are nurturing them properly?
Pay Attention to Their Free Time
If the phone battery is dead and the video games are off (as rare as this is), what are they actually doing? There may be things that they are looking up to, and this gives you the perfect opportunity to start giving them pointers or guiding them down a certain avenue. If your child is interested in something like baseball, it’s not just about giving them the equipment like the l screens and everything else, but about ensuring that they have an appreciation of the sport. If they are interested in baseball, you might just want to send them a couple of YouTube videos of the greats, but also point them towards some YouTube channels that teach baseball techniques. From there, you can start to encourage your child to sign up for different courses or classes that focus on these activities.
Look at Your Child’s Idols
People they idolize, even if they are fictional, can give you a great insight into the type of things that they may benefit from, even if they don’t necessarily show a passion for something. For example, if your child is obsessed with Sonic the Hedgehog, this is a character that is, naturally, very fast! So a logical approach would be to get them interested in running fast and even competing in races. And when we start to think about our child’s heroes and who they emulate, this can be a clue to where the person could truly lie.
Should You Ask Them What They Want To Do When They Grow Up?
Some people don’t necessarily think this is the best approach, especially with young children. But the fact is that, regardless of the age of your child, they are going to want to do certain things that make them happy. So if you’ve got a young child that is into playing video games, this isn’t necessarily a dead end as far as passions are concerned. There are countless examples of people on Twitch that have monetized their game playing. But if your child is actually thinking about playing games for a living, you may also want to point them out towards games testing roles and working in the games industry.
Nurturing Your Child’s Passions
If you get an insight into what they want to do or be, you’ve got to be aware of how your enthusiasm for the subject can greatly hinder your child’s goals. For example, if your child wants to do something relating to sports, it could be so easy for you to start pushing your child to participate in activities. It’s far better for you to give them opportunities that they can take at their own pace. Sometimes we’ve just got to be aware of the fact that our children will want to not do something because we have pushed it upon them.
But there are things you can do to help steer their interests. While your child may dream of being a professional baseball player, if you start to see that their dream begins to die during their teenage years, there are always alternative approaches to help them keep their love of the sport through another avenue. Because the sports industry provides a huge variety of options. You need to give your child the freedom to set something aside and try different things. You may think that you have a child that shows an amazing attitude toward sports, so therefore they need to get to college on a scholarship. The reality is that you’ve got to follow their interests. They may come back to it or they may find more interests, but the most important thing that you can do as a parent is to encourage them along the way while also giving them the opportunities to discover what they really enjoy.