How many parents dream of having a little child prodigy? A tiny Mozart, or Bobby Fischer, or perhaps a Pele, or Michael Jordan, even another Pavarotti, or Shirley Temple, or Anna Pavlova, we want our children to be extraordinary!
Perhaps a better question is how many little prodigies are lost because a parent’s dreams sublimate the child’s actual being? And this goes both ways. Parents who have so little interest in their child that she is never offered the tools that would allow her to demonstrate her genius; and parents who want a soccer player so badly that junior never hears a violin?
Some children will succeed given unreasonable circumstances, but why take the chance when there is a choice? All children, especially the “perfect child” need to start out with the basics, eating the right foods, getting enough fresh air and exercise and sleep. This sounds like common sense, but it is surprising how many children are denied this fundamental building block.
Next we teach patience and perseverance. Almost anything can be achieved with these two skills.
And finally, we provide as broad a base of experiences as possible. There are no surfing prodigies at the North Pole.
There are rules for chess, positions for ballet, symmetry and perspective in art, instincts to hone in sport. None of these things can be done without a fundamental knowledge of what they are, so parents need to provide a good solid foundation for whatever a child loves.
Then it is time to sit back and watch. Patience and perseverance is a prime parenting skill too.
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