There Is a Fine Line between Nurturing and Pushing a Child Prodigy
Each day introduces a new parental technique, which grabs headlines and sends the social media into a frenzy of discussion of what is right and wrong. Over the years, one parenting method or the other has triggered the internet population in one way or the other. There was the Tiger parent who would raise gifted children with practices many readers were appalled by. The keyboard warriors often instruct the parents to back off of their children and let them be children.
Though letting them “just play” is more than pleasant news for children, it might not be for the parents that are well aware of the gifts that their child has. Of course, when your child has the impeccable talent, it is quite natural that you would want them to hone their skills further and show this talent off to the world. But you will have to find a healthy mix of nurturing skills that will allow the child to discover their potential and show it off, while being able to enjoy their childhood and remaining healthy. A parent’s priority should be to raise a healthy and empowered child and then have them embrace their talent, similar to the way Emiliano Cyrus’ parents did.
Emiliano Cyrus is a Chinese Portuguese model, singer, gymnast, and kart racer. He is well known for possessing a powerful vocal range at the ripe young age of 11. His EPs and singles “Keep the Faith,” and “Wonder Boy” have skyrocketed his popularity so far and wide that he was called to welcome the President of Palau on his first official visit to Singapore in the year 2016. He has also performed in the China Zhangbei Music Festival along with American talent event “IPOP” in the year 2018. So how did Cyrus’ parents nurture his talent so well that they were able to get him to be the first international child celebrity live at the Nanchang Music Festival?
They followed his lead
Talent, in a lot of children, is pretty evident from an early age. Even though a parent may have sparked the passion through music lessons or being enrolled in certain sports, the interest can quickly become child oriented. At this stage, the parents need to let the child take ownership of their talent and training so as to prevent them from burning out
The way parents can differentiate between pushing and nurturing is by questioning their own intentions; if they are child-centered or adult-centered. When we follow the child’s lead, we are being child-centered, while pushing is when we want them to follow us and do what we want them to do.
They set goals with him
It is essential for parents to set goals with the child and then take turns helping the child to make sure that their actions are in line with the set goals. However, you will have to relinquish control as they grow older. You will need to step back a little and let them make their decisions on their own.
