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 .’
The problem with kids and goals is that parents often get in the way of them , admittedly . While I would much rather spend money on sports than art lessons , I have decided that for a 7-year-old , the most important thing I could teach her is how to set goals for herself , pursue her venture through failures and success , and achieve the goals she set out for herself .
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