Leading Your Child to Her Calling
AUTHOR: KENNEY MYERS
There has been much talk about helping kids find their passion so that they can live a full life, but how do you help your kids find that spark? As a parent you can open the door to experiences and opportunities. You can encourage your kids to try different things and to always be curious about life. But you can’t force your kids to love something. However, maybe one of the most important things you can do as a parent is to study your kids and take note of what kinds of activities make them excited and happy. These 18 blog articles will give you some ideas on how to help your kids find their passion.
Introduce Your Kids to Options . Many parents let their kids try out all sorts of different activities in order to expose them to different experiences, which is a smart idea. If kids are never exposed to different activities, they’ll never know if something makes them happy or not. Talk to your kids and find out what they are interested in, then see if you can help them learn more about it. These six blog posts will explain more about how to introduce your child to various experiences.
- Helping Children Find Their Passion The world is a big place and you may be tempted to guide your child along the path that you took, but it’s important for them to pursue things they’re interested in.
- How to Help Your Kids Find Their Passion Introduce your kids to various subjects, either in person or by reading books to them, to find what sparks their interest.
- 5 Ways to Help Your Children Find Their Gifts and Passions In an effort to help your children find their passion, expose them to many different interests.
- Helping Kids Find Their Passion Put your child into various classes so that they can enjoy themselves and learn something new, not just to find their passion.
- How to Help Kids Find Their “Spot” Encourage your kids to be curious about everything and support their efforts to learn about something new.
- Finding Your Kids’ Passion in Life Allow your child to try two activities at a time, and take it slowly so that passion has a chance to develop.
- Be Encouraging Cheer for your child when they are participating in something new, but not too much. Kids are smart and will know if you are pushing them in a certain direction. Stand back and let your child make up his own mind about an activity. Encourage him to stick with anything that is new long enough to get a good feel for it. For ways to encourage your child without pushing him, take a look at the suggestions in these six blog entries.
- Help You Kids Find Purpose and Passion—Expert Advice from Stanford University Professor William Damon Support your child’s interests and encourage him to learn more about what interests him, even if the interests don’t make sense to you.
- Discovering Your Kids’ Passion & Gifting Help your kids stay focused, because once something becomes difficult it’s simple to quit.
- How to Teach Your Kids to Find a Passion When your kids find something that they like encourage them to give it their all.
- Helping Children Find Their Passion Help your child find someone who inspires him by exposing him to different things, like watching the Olympics or going to a symphony.
- Life Skills: Teaching Children Perseverance by Finding Their Passion Support your child’s interests, even if you don’t understand them.
- Finding Students’ Hidden Strengths and Passions Encourage kids to talk about what they love and to continue to work at what they are interested in.
- Observe Your Child’s Reactions Be a quiet observer of your child and see what he likes and what excites him. Try to avoid nagging your child about finding his passion. The pressure you put on him may make him say that something is his passion just to make you happy; you will know when something makes your child light up and he can’t get enough of it. Check out these six blog articles for ways you can watch your child and recognize the spark of passion.
- Help Your Kids Find Their Creative Passions Watch your kids and see what activities excite them, and guide them to explore the areas where their talents lie.
- Parent Blog: Promoting Your Child’s Passion Parents should observe their kids and help them find a mentor when they see something they are passionate about.
- The Trick in Helping Your Kids Find Their Passion Become a student of your child and watch what he is interested in and what actions make him happy.
- Savoring an Interest: Helping Your Child Get a Taste of Passion As your kids are trying various activities, watch them carefully to see if it’s time to call it quits.
- Advice for Raising a Child Star Take your cues from your child, and as he gets older steer him in the right direction while keeping him away from some pitfalls.
- How Youth Become Passionate About Giving Encourage your child to help and give to others, and watch how he reacts to what he is doing to see if he has a passion for giving.
Gail Cawley Showalter 
So much helpful info here, thanks. One thing I’d like to add that I hope will help some parents…My experience is that when people use the word “passion” it can throw others off. They start trying to think of some hobby that they absolutely positively with-all-their-heart LOVE. I’ve found that many people don’t have that feeling and they become downhearted for not having a passion.
As you so wisely said Gail/Kenney in the article, “Talk to your kids and find out what they are interested in”. When people tell me they don’t have a passion I ask about their “interests” and they begin to rattle off a list of “potential passions”. It’s just semantics and it seems to help many parents and kids realize that they do indeed have a passion…by looking at their interests.
Thanks again. Great post.
Darren P.D. Walker
http://www.RichSingleParent.com
Thank you so much for including our post in this fabulous collection!
Thank you so much for including our post in this fabulous round up!
We are glad to have you.
As a single mom of 5, I know how important it is to encourage our children’s passions. I, also know how difficult it can be when you have multiple children with different passions. How do you keep up with them all? I try to spend time with each child learning about his/her passion and finding ways to encourage that passion. I spend one on one time with each child and, also encourage family support of each other. Even when my kids don’t get each other’s passions, supporting each other is so important. I have had the most difficulty with my sons. They are into “guy” stuff, like cars and fixing things. I still try to find ways to encourage, even when I don’t get it. It takes time and some time management, but it is worth the effort when your child comes to you and says, “thanks for your support.”
Patti Burris
http://www.pattiburris.com
Since I vividly remember the struggles of raising three, I can only imagine raising five. My heart and admiration goes out to you. As I’m sure you can confirm each child is different and must be encouraged in his/her particular area of strength or passion.