Ways to Help Your Kids Find Their Calling

Playing hockey may not end up being your child's calling, but exposing him to it could still be good for him.

Helping children find their calling, or passion, is important because making the right choices can affect the rest of their lives. If your child shows more than a passing interest in something, give him more opportunities to learn, such as extra lessons. Remember that providing these opportunities is important, but letting your child explore on his own terms is even more important.

Exposure

Expose your child to as many activities and ideas as he is interested in exploring. A child cannot find his calling if he has never been exposed to it. Granted, this can mean your child will be exposed to a lot of things he isn't interested in, but this is good for him, too. When he finally finds something he loves, he will truly appreciate it and work to excel at it.

Strengths

Encourage your child to think about what he is good at. Just because he is good at something, it doesn't mean he will necessarily be passionate about it. But often passions and strengths go hand in hand. In order to figure out his strengths, he not only needs to try a variety of activities but also put his best effort into them, truly pushing himself. The most rewarding things for someone to be good at are usually the ones that were difficult and required extra effort. The challenge helps create the passion.

Desires

Help your child figure out what he wants to do. Finding your calling in life begins with simply knowing what you like to do. What your child loves may not always be a realistic goal, but your job as a parent is to encourage and support. If your child wants to be a professional hockey player but isn't very good, eventually he will figure this out. That doesn't mean he can't end up coaching hockey, owning an arena or becoming a sports journalist; all of these are ways of reaching his dream in a slightly different way.

The Parent's Role

Praise your child for his efforts, but not excessively or it becomes meaningless. Encourage your child whether he is doing well or not, and be clear that making mistakes is actually a good thing because mistakes offer opportunities to learn. Most importantly, lead by example. If you are not pursuing your passion, even in a small way, it will be hard to teach your child to do that. Your child will learn much more by watching you than by listening to you.

References

• Thomas Armstrong: 50 Ways to Bring Out Your Child's Best