Are you a pushy mom or dad? Do you play Baby Einstein for you little one along with Baby Mozart and more – encouraging their mental and creative development? Do you sit there and wonder whether they will be a prima ballerina or a rocket scientist? Will your child be the one who helps design the ship that gets us to Mars in a couple of weeks or discovers the perfect crop to end world hunger?
Is My Baby Gifted or Bright?
This is a very natural question and we as mothers and fathers ask this question more often than we might think. We look at our babies and we wonder. We can’t help it. It’s very natural to wonder and to imagine and to dream. It’s also equally important to recognize that all of our babies are gifted in some way.
Some of our children are artists. Some are athletes. Some are social wonders. Others are more mechanically gifted or talented in engineering. Every child is special. Every child has a gift. Every child adds a new facet of wonder to the brilliance that is our world. What you, as a parent, must recognize and embrace is that those talents are all worthy of being applauded and supported.
You cannot and must not push upon your child your own dreams nor diminish their talents and capabilities if they do not in some way measure up to what you believe they should be. You have to encourage them in the pursuit of their dreams whether it is a talent you like or not. Your son or daughter may display their talent in the first year of their life or it may take years for it to fully realize itself – either way, be encouraging.
Intellectual Gifts
When we think of the word gifted we usually infer that it means intellectual gifts. We think these children are smarter and greater and more than they are. But remember – intellectual gifts manifest in different ways as well. Some children are gifted with numbers others with spatial relations still others with personal relationships and others are gifted with words either written or in speech and many other gifts.
To be gifted is to be alive – whether you recognize what these talents are immediately or not. Encourage your baby to be who they are and love them for exactly that. What do you want your baby to be?
Related Articles:
The Inner Workings of Your Baby’s Mind Part III: Social Intellect
Teaching Little Ones to Play Together
Stimulating Your Baby’s Motor Skills