Inside each child is a passion waiting to be
discovered and supported. If your child seems
unmotivated, it could be because your goals for
her are superceding their own. If a child is being
pushed to play soccer, for instance, but her heart
is more into art, it’s unlikely that child will seem
motivated. I am stealing this for instance from my
very own life.
My child showed no interest in sports. I wanted
her to stay active and play baseball, soccer or
volleyball. I offered to sign her up for dance
lessons, gymnastics even. Tennis anyone? Though
I championed the sports I thought might give her
a shot at free college tuition (truth be told), she
wasn’t interested in any of them. While most kids
might acquiesce at that young age, her strong-
willed nature showed no bending or compromise.
She whined through soccer practice. She whined
after practice. She whined enough to exhaust me
from signing her up again, not just from soccer,
but from anything she didn’t show interest in.
Then I asked her to create goals of her own and
it opened up a window into her soul. In so doing, I
discovered what she truly loved: art. She even came
up with her own goals on how to become a better
artist: complete at least one drawing or painting a
day, take up art lessons, stop asking her older sister
to draw for her, stop comparing her drawings with
her older sister’s drawings, say only positive things
about her drawings and never say, ‘I can’t do it.’
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