Register | Login
Login
Sign in with:
---------- OR ----------
Create Account | Login
Create account
As a Member You Can:
  • Join clubs to discuss your interests
  • Connect with people like you
  • Share information, seek advice, get support

   
parenting
in Mumbai (change city)
Select City
  • All
  • Delhi
  • New Delhi
  • Gurgaon
  • Noida
  • Mumbai
  • Pune
  • Banglore
  • Hyderabad
  • Ghaziabad
  • Chandigarh
  • Ahmedabad
  • Kolkata
  • Chennai
  • Coimbatore
  • Jaipur
select‌ stage
 
Confident Child Topics..

 
You are here : home > Confident Child > Building Confidence > What Will I be When I Grow up?

What Will I be When I Grow up?

What Will I be When I Grow up?

Why push your son to be a doctor or a banker when he loves the outdoors? Nurture his talents to help him bloom on his own.

At a school reunion, after 20 years, people went down memory lane and took stock of their subsequent years; what they found was most illuminating. A 'dim-wit' during secondary years given up as 'no good' was an ace sports instructor who had brought glory to his college. A college that had no sports presence whatsoever, and had not produced any sports stars thus far, had become a force to reckon with.

To each his own

A girl who couldn't talk straight and get her sums right was a reputed Bharatnatyam dancer touring the globe and conducting presentations on the art! What do these examples - which could be of any school reunion across the globe - tell us? Doesn't it tell us that not everybody has to aim for that Harvard admission or a Rhode scholarship? That you can still carve out a niche for yourself and make a success of whatever you choose to do.

What is good for goose?

Many parents, perhaps unwittingly, place great emphasis on academics - the three R's of education - reading, writing and arithmetic - to the detriment of other talents and activities. While that is important, no doubt, it must be realized that every individual has an aptitude for certain things and may not be cut out for something else. Once you realize this fundamental truth, it will be easier to concentrate next on finding where the child's metier lies.
Does your daughter sway to the rhythm of music and is drawn to it inveterately? Is your son always mouthing and enacting his favourite cartoon characters, getting into their skin? Maybe there is in them the seed for a future musician or an actor which needs to be nurtured.

Talent-spotting, your brief

By the age of three when a child starts walking and talking comfortably, by when he becomes socially adaptable and starts pre-school, his personality starts to bloom. He or she may surprise you with his or her likes and dislikes, at times making you wonder: 'From where did my son or daughter get this trait, when both I and my husband do not have it.' You will find that he or she has proclivities towards some activities and couldn't care less about others.
You want to enroll him in a hobby class which teaches dancing and are mighty disappointed that while the others take to it, he shams it. Just let him be. Instead of venting spleen and forcing the chap to do what you think may be good for him, try changing tack. It is time to indulge in a bit of healthy talent-spotting when your child crosses three.

Work people do

Your son may not play cricket as good as the neighbour's child or get a medal in sports activity, but he may excel in story-telling or on stage. Don't let him think he is any less because he is not good at something like the other child. As a parent, the best you can do is to expose your child to the various professions and hobbies and let him decide the path to take. Let the winds blow from all sides so that he can decide which way to get carried away.
What you could do is to take him to a museum and introduce him to the curator, for instance. When you go on a holiday to a forest let him find out what the forest conservator does. Take him to exhibition and let him meet the artists - painters or sculptors. Take him out to plays and theatre. Every time you take your child out make a conscious effort to tell him what people do or about the various professions. Your brief is just to provide your child an environment that is conducive for intellectual growth.

Hobbies and professions

This is a stage when you can help a child develop hobbies as per his taste and aptitude. The time for choosing a profession comes at a later stage, after he has finished schooling. That is when you'll have to be abreast of the practical aspects of professional education and the scope to pursue that, which is a different ballgame altogether. You can avail of vocational guidance, of course, but if you have ensured that your child has nurtured several hobbies, it will make that choice much easier.
In life, there are as many professions to pursue as there are ideas. Today many of the high-profile and glamorous professions are those that are off-beat, like the ones in food and hotel industry. A good chef today earns international accolade as much as he does an obscene remuneration. Mountaineers, adventurers, photographers, herpetologists, interpreters - the list is endless - all do interesting work that is as much a service to society as doctors' or teachers'.

Natural flair

A prize-winning ad line comes to mind. The picture shows a celebrity-potter at the wheel and the line reads: 'When I was a child my parents told me not to play in mud.' Let us take a lesson out of this. Let children bloom to their true potential without putting unnecessary pressure or burden of our expectations on them. Let them test the waters and swim freely. Don't sacrifice their interests and personalities in a bid to keep up with the Jones's or Joshi's. Gently guide them to be their own persons and to choose their hobbies and professions to their liking.



Cancel
Save Edit
parenting
Notifications
12 Comments
Sort by Newest

avatar

Riya Sharma
Riya Sharma.9 years ago
My child displays an avid interest in sports and loves to play badminton and cricket. His school - Orchids International encourages such interests and they even have sports camps and coaching after school and also during school. Hoping to guide and help him with his interests.
 
 
 
.
Reply
Harsh
Harsh.14 years ago
my son is 10 years old he is very found of playing football. he nevers concentrate on his studies. he always feel like playing football. we agree he is very good in football but he has to complete his study. we are very worried about him...
1
 
 
 
.
Reply
aparna
aparna.14 years ago
woderful and a thought provoking article which should be read by all parents.
1
 
 
 
.
Reply
Manju
Manju.14 years ago
nice article, infact some times we as parents forget that our kids are individual personalites & that time this type of thought provoking articles help us to come to right track.
1
 
 
 
.
Reply
CHase
CHase.14 years ago
i love basketball
1
 
 
 
.
Reply
jimmy
jimmy.14 years ago
i like to party
1
 
 
 
.
Reply
Madhu
Madhu.14 years ago
our country is such that even if children are good at other things, they are forced to give up their dreams because they are not considered suitable careers.
 
 
 
.
Reply
kaley
kaley.14 years ago
kaley is an asome kide my mom said to me one day i love peopole be my frind now
 
 
 
.
Reply
TINA
TINA.14 years ago
my daughter cece is so concentrated on sing and won't touch a book at all. what should i do
 
 
 
.
Reply
Back to Previous Page   |   More on Confident Child Index

 








Subscribe




All tips on Building Confidence
You ever wanted in one place.
No need to go anywhere else. No spam.

*No spam only genuine emails
Follow us on:



Featured Articles - Infertility | Baby Development | Health and Fitness | How to Get Pregnant | Parenting Advice | Weight Loss | Pregnancy Advice | Name Numerology
Baby - Baby Photo Contest | Lucky Names | Lucky Birthdates | Horoscopes | Chinese Calendar | Compatibility Test | Fun Zone
Parenting - Message Boards | Planning a Baby | Pregnancy | Parents of Babies | Baby Names | Baby Name Poll | Birth Announcements | Parenting Quiz
Family - Cooking Club | Love & Relationships | Beauty Tips | Kids Weight Calculator | Recipe Maker
General - Calorie Counter | Personality Quiz | Love Signs | Compatibility Quiz