I got this link (http://stevemurrell.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/05/the-myth-of-the-gifted-child.html) off my friend and junior in high school. Many people have told me I'm gifted. Or they have commented that others are gifted. But honestly, do you know how much money my parents have spent on my so called 'gifts'? Do you know how many hours of practice and lessons I've had [still do]? Do you know the hours of thinking, planning, and sacrificing play-time, forgoing TV and leisure time developing talents has involved? Kudos to my parents for all they invested. Piano, Ballet, Violin. Yamaha piano lessons[yes I used to attend 2 piano lessons a week, one violin lesson, orchestra/ensemble practices, ballet twice a week, volleyball once or twice a week, church and youth group, and worship practices on Wednesdays. Throw in some tuition and the load of homework from a Chinese school education system. VOILA! The summary of most part of my life in Malaysia as a child and adolescent.
The Myth of the Gifted Child
“Your sons are so gifted.”
I’ve heard it a thousand times…
- at William's elementary school piano recitals - “wow, he has a musical gift” (no, he’s practiced every day, since he was 5)
- at James' tennis tournaments – “I wish my son could hit a forehand like that” (try training 7 days a week, for a few of years)
- when people see Jonathan's paintings - “he obviously has a special gift for art” (you should have seen his "art" before we hired an art teacher to mentor him)
Yea, we have gifted kids – they were gifted with a mother who wouldn’t allow them to waste time doing nothing. And they were gifted with a father who was on a 10-year anti-TV, anti-video game kick during their formative years. That’s why they spent countless hours reading, listening to music and developing killer kick-serves.
My sons were also gifted with mentors/coaches/teachers who helped them discover and develop a few of the skills and talents that God hid in them.
Gifts are free. Talents are costly; they must be discovered and developed.
But sadly, most talent is never discovered, never developed. It is simply wasted while staring at a screen. Tragic.
What are you doing to develop your gifts and talents?
What are you doing to help develop your kid's gifts and talents?
(i'll never forget the tennis tournament when the father of a kid my son had just destroyed turned to me and said: "i bet you paid a lot of money for his forehand." that father understood where the gift/talent came from - dad's checkbook. he was right, and it was worth every dollar/peso.)
I’ve heard it a thousand times…
- at William's elementary school piano recitals - “wow, he has a musical gift” (no, he’s practiced every day, since he was 5)
- at James' tennis tournaments – “I wish my son could hit a forehand like that” (try training 7 days a week, for a few of years)
- when people see Jonathan's paintings - “he obviously has a special gift for art” (you should have seen his "art" before we hired an art teacher to mentor him)
Yea, we have gifted kids – they were gifted with a mother who wouldn’t allow them to waste time doing nothing. And they were gifted with a father who was on a 10-year anti-TV, anti-video game kick during their formative years. That’s why they spent countless hours reading, listening to music and developing killer kick-serves.
My sons were also gifted with mentors/coaches/teachers who helped them discover and develop a few of the skills and talents that God hid in them.
Gifts are free. Talents are costly; they must be discovered and developed.
But sadly, most talent is never discovered, never developed. It is simply wasted while staring at a screen. Tragic.
What are you doing to develop your gifts and talents?
What are you doing to help develop your kid's gifts and talents?
(i'll never forget the tennis tournament when the father of a kid my son had just destroyed turned to me and said: "i bet you paid a lot of money for his forehand." that father understood where the gift/talent came from - dad's checkbook. he was right, and it was worth every dollar/peso.)
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