When your child announces that he does not want to go to a language camp to London, because he prefers to do professional shacks on a bushcraft course in a nearby forest, do not panic. This is a great opportunity to think about how to support your child’s development wisely. When to trust? When to intervene?
The child’s first interests may seem promising or be a big surprise for parents. They can change, they can be short-lived – it’s important that they are. It is a reliable sign that the child has begun looking for his passion, shows initiative, tries to organize time himself.
What does the child get?
A ten-year-old who goes to dream weaving classes brings something more than a piece of hand-woven fabric. Gaining the resources necessary to conduct a satisfying life in the future (and it is not about manual skills at all) – a sense of agency and competence, learning about own abilities and talents, stimulating the imagination, developing social competences in a new peer group, motor development …
The power of awareness of own limitations
However, there are situations in which the parent’s intervention will be beneficial for the child. For example, when a child is unable to objectively assess his or her abilities and wants to invest his time and effort in an activity that is too difficult, it can result in great difficulties, humiliation and even permanently discourage him from taking any action. It is not about directing children towards areas where they will certainly achieve success without any problems. Well-chosen activity for a child is one in which it must face challenges, but it also has a real chance to achieve its goals.
Trust!
The offer of activities for children is very rich today – especially in big cities it is difficult to decide what will be the most developmental and useful for a child. Asking the child what he wants, does not always end up participating in well-chosen activities – children often do not know what the classes are about. So, let’s give your child space to experiment at home and let them try different activities. Declared interests of the child are an expression of his needs, but to find them, he often must first realize them. Before you categorically refuse to finance the course of making bas-reliefs in wood, think about whether it is not worth trusting your child.