As parents, it is often our first instinct to protect our children from things that could potentially harm them. And generally, this is good practice. It is indeed a dangerous world, and our children rely on us to keep them alive and well.
However, it is also our responsibility to allow them to grow.
Exposure
In saying "exposure", I'm not suggesting leaving your children to fend against the elements or to allow them to touch the hot stovetop.
What I'm saying is to let your kids do the same things that you are doing, or try to include them in some way.
If you are making breakfast, get a chair and let them crack a few eggs. If you're working on the car, show them where to poor the oil and let them try doing it. If you're making some pottery, let them touch some clay and get messy.
I'm a game developer and my 5 year old son watches me while I do development. So one day I opened up RPG Maker, gave him some basic instructions, and sat back to see what he would create.
He quickly started designing maps with mountains, trees, caves, crevasses, dungeons, lava falls, and lava monsters. He assembled a party of characters based off of him, myself, and my wife. He created a village called Victorvile because my wife had recently told him about a town in California of the same name, which he connected with because his name is Victor.
So now there is a 5 year old in my house who is developing his own RPG, learning about maps, tiling, events, and design. If he stays on this course I could easily see him creating a legitimate game by the time he is 10-12 years old.
It's the same with anything.
I have heard stories of great guitarists who would sit on their father's laps while they played guitar, making the child feel as though they were a virtuoso. Or great cooks who would help their mother’s in the kitchen.
Children learn by doing
Far too often I hear about modern parents who simply feel too busy and overwhelmed with life, and thus treat their own children as though they are a nuisance.
They'll hand them a tablet or put them in front of the TV so they don't have to deal with them.
I understand this -- being a parent is stressful, especially when one's attention is so divided. With all the pressures of modern life pulling an adult in multiple directions, and all the distractions of modern technology and the pluralism of activities, it is no simple thing to figure out a way to include your children in the things you do.
But I can assure you, your children are faster learners than you might expect.
When you expose children to the things that you do and allow them to participate, they will quickly become useful, and might even excel you in ability. This is how genius is permitted to grow.
Talent discovery
Because children grow so quickly, and humans are creatures of habit, it is easy for adults to get into the rut of thinking that your child will need their diapers changed for the rest of their lives.
But then, one day, they simply don't need it anymore. One day, they are able to prepare their own breakfast. They are able to dress themselves. They can shower by themselves. They can drive. They can get a job. They can take care of their own children. They can take care of you when you aren't able to take care of yourself.
By allowing your children to explore the daily activities that you do which interest them, you are giving them access to talent discovery.
We all have personal talents -- at least that's what I'd like to think, lol -- and when people are given the opportunity to try different things at a young age, they are more likely to figure out what their talents are, and from there to direct themselves (with your help) into the mastery of those talents.
So help your children discover their talents so they can hone them into a powerful tool that will give them a better life than you have.
Tell me what you think
I have enjoyed my parenting posts here on Steemit.
There seems to be a lot of you out there who are parents and are ready to have a conversation about parenting. There are many techniques and tools that we can employ in this most important of jobs, and I welcome all of your input and views on this.
So thanks for being involved!
:D
