What do you want to become when you grow up?
This is a commonly asked question, and I am quiet sure every child raised in Nigeria has been asked this question one time or the other.
Then comes the innocent answers that were gotten mainly by how attractive professionals in a given profession look, by influence of close relations or purely by guess work.
Today I was encouraging a child to complete the book she had started writing and I promised to publish it.
This brought a lot of memories and questions to my mind.
Why do we have to wait till we grow up to start?
Growing up, I wanted to be a pilot, then I wanted to be an accountant. But as I got older I was sure I wanted to be a ‘novelist’ I can not remember how I came about the word, but that was my hearty reply, anytime I was asked.
I wanted to write novels, to write about so many things and everything, I read every book I could lay my hands on, this helped me develop good oral communication skills, I was equally good at acting, singing, and public speaking as I would always get commendations from my teachers and from others.
I could write a whole list of wonderful talents that if nurtured would have given me limitless avenue to self actualisation and fulfillment
I did not have much information on ground or means to nurture these talents coupled with the fact that I was patiently waiting to grow up for things to figure out itself.
Well, I am all grown now and the wait is over, however I wish I did not wait till I am all grown up to explore all my God given talents.
Most of these talents will remain untapped and unused.
Dear parents,
Please do not wait until your child grow up before nurturing their God’s given talent, every child is born with one or two or even more.
- Pay attention to your child, try to find out what they enjoy doing, what they are good at and nurture it.
- This will in turn help them build their self confidence and give them a sense of belonging
During the holidays try to explore other choices aside summer lessons
Endeavour to be informed yourself, carry out researches, you do not need to be educated to do so, ask questions when necessary.
Encourage them to participate in their School’s Extracurricular activities, to take up leadership roles when possible, to volunteer in different roles to have a first hand knowledge and experience of what is expected of them.
Register them for:
- Language classes: bilingualism is a huge plus to anyone no matter the profession you find yourself in, there are language apps like Duolingo where they can learn
- Music classes
- Coding classes
- Mentorship sessions
- Competitions
- Catering Schools
- Fashion Schools
Start now to teach them how to generate income, do not wait till they grow up.
A lot of adults can not manage their income well because they were not taught how to do so.
Teach them saving culture.
Teach them about taking responsibilities.
High achieving youths are not people that waited till they grew up to start, but people that started as early as they can.
The labour market is filled with a lot of competitions and if you want to give your Child a good start, start now:
- Starting now will give them a lot of clarity as to what they want out of life
- Starting now will save them the stress of going through a wrong career path
Above all believe in your child’s dream no matter how unrealistic it may seem, it will go along way in building their self confidence, do not limit your child by your own ignorance.
Try and stay informed as a parent and watch as your child reach his/ her greatest potential.
