Ever since I read the book Now Discover Your Strengths, I’ve been fascinated by how it can apply to the learning and development of children. The other day, my manager was entertaining our group at work with hilarious tales of his entrepreneurial youth (you’d be shocked at how much you can mark up a loom-made potholder!). When I asked him whether he thought people maintain the same tendencies and abilities throughout life, his answer was emphatically yes. So it got me thinking about what I was doing in my elementary years:
- Cutting up stacks of magazines and reorganizing/gluing the pictures and articles onto construction paper to make my own "magazine."
- Entering and winning a poster contest to advertise the school fair.
- Pouring hours into a flyer to promote "Kathy and Lori’s Babysitting Service."
- Writing and illustrating my own stories.
Of course there were Barbies and bike-riding in there as well, but I’m amazed at the recurring and natural inclination I had toward using just the right mix of words and images to communicate my ideas. And what do I find myself doing every day at work? Using those same skills, focusing heavily on marketing communications and product development.
Case closed in my book – I agree that we maintain the same leanings and strengths throughout our lives. But back to the parenting question – how can we as parents focus on and develop our child’s gifts while raising a healthy, well-adjusted and fun member of society? I’ll spare you the further exploration of the master gardener/chef-and-raw-ingredients/artist-and-lump-of-clay analogies that come to mind, and instead recall one of my favorite comments from Rob Bell during our C3 conference this year. He quoted his therapist on what we are to do with our time here on Earth – "the relentless pursuit of who God made you to be."
As parents, we are the tour guide (okay I couldn’t resist an analogy), accompanying our children in their pursuit, educating them about the meaning of things they pass along the way, and steering them clear of dangerous parts of the region. We don’t pick the trip they take – we just join them for a while and try to help them get the most out of the path on which they have been placed.
