3 Things You Can Do Right Now to Help Your Kids Discover What They’re Good At

Have you ever wondered how to help your child become who he was truly meant to be? Each person has natural talents that could turn into a satisfying career — especially if shaped and guided. Watch the video below about two lifelong friends who had very different interests and how they leveraged their abilities to become successful (and happy) women!

For anyone unable to watch a video, we’ll recap: Aubrey and Annalise met as 4-year-olds at church and were fast friends by 4th grade. Inseparable, these girls had lots of common interests: talking, laughing, singing, painting their nails, watching movies, and crafting.

In middle school, their interests diverged when Aubrey showed an affinity for subjects like Latin and Algebra, and Annalise was pulled towards the creative subjects like Photography and Art History. When these girls started thinking about their futures, it was no mystery that one of them — the fun-loving, all-in, adventurous one — chose a fashion degree, studying at three acclaimed schools, on the west and east coasts and abroad! And the book-worm-detailed-planner-valedictorian attended a prestigious university, majoring in engineering.

And now? One is a knitwear designer for a large (famous!) clothing manufacturer and the other collected a couple of degrees in engineering and education before teaching math & science (PSST- and now is the right-hand girl for Smart Kids 101!). Looking back, it’s no wonder that they’ve accomplished the things they have… They were wired from birth and given opportunity to soar and do exactly what they are supposed to do.

So, how can parents recognize and motivate their children into career choices that best suit their wiring?

Observe

Start here: What do your youngsters enjoy? How would they spend their time if it were solely their choice? Does she sit and color, create or play alone for hours? Is he a perpetual force of energy that has to be going, doing, bossing around, and leading? An outdoorsy type who likes working with his hands may not be suited for college or a desk job. An organized, dedicated student with a compassionate heart may be perfectly suited for a healthcare profession, like nursing or physical therapy.

Listen

Do the kids complain because they are grumpy and dissatisfied — or is a core “wiring” of their heart not being met? One of my children needed extra encouragement with one-on-one attention to learn some fundamental school work. Unfortunately, it took me about 4 months to figure it out. (Rest assured, it all turned out well in the end!)

Encourage

And lastly: appreciate the things your child enjoys — those things that make them thrive. And (I should mention) it may not be what you like to do! Sitting on the sidelines at her soccer game on a freezing cold morning may not be your idea of fun. Or it might not be your cup of tea to spend a Saturday morning watching him work on a puzzling video game. But encouraging these gifts your child has will connect you on an irreplaceably deep level.

The bottom line? If you encourage your child to try lots of different things while he’s young, he will have a much better idea how he wants to make a living when it’s time to make those career-shaping decisions. Grab a front-row seat and enjoy the ride! If you enjoyed this post, hop on over to our Facebook page and like us!

About Aubrey Hunt
Before hopping on the crazy ride we call motherhood, I studied engineering and taught math and science to middle and high school students. Now, perhaps like you, I fill my days singing The Itsy Bitsy Spider and praying my preschooler will eat a vegetable — any vegetable!