Aim Them In The Right Direction (2)

Train up a child... in keeping with his individual gift or bent.
Proverbs 22:6

Raising your child "in the way he should go" means recognising four things:
(1) Strengths. At two, Van Cliburn played a song on the piano as a result of listening to teaching in the adjacent room. His mother noticed, gave him lessons, and the child from Kilgore, Texas won the first international Tchaikovsky piano competition in Moscow.
(2) Topics. John Ruskin said, "Tell me what you like, and I'll tell you what you are." What do your children like? Numbers? Colours? Activities? Study them! The greatest gift you can give them is not your riches, but revealing to them their own.
(3) Optimal conditions. A cactus thrives in different conditions than a rose bush. What soil does your child grow in? Some children love to be noticed. Others prefer to hide in the crowd. Some do well taking tests. Others excel with the subject, but stumble through exams. Winston Churchill repeatedly failed tests in school. We each have different optimal conditions. What are your children's?
(4) Relationships. What phrase best describes your child? "Follow me, everyone… I'll let you know if I need some help… Can we do this together?… Tell me what to do and I'll do it." Don't characterise loners as aloof, or crowd seekers as arrogant. They may be living out their story.
What gives your children satisfaction? What makes them say "Yes!" Do they love the journey or the destination? Do they like to keep things straight or straighten things out? What thrills one, bothers another. Parent, resist the urge to label before you study.
Understand the uniqueness of your child!