Don't Let Your Child's Talents Go to Waste

It's amazing what you observe when you work in a TV newsroom. Just recently I was watching a story during our evening TV newscast, when I noticed a story that came up about a teenager, whose genius was basically going to waste. He was committing the crime of counterfeiting. Somehow, he managed to get the original ink from the dollar off and imprint new dollar amounts onto the paper that lost its original ink. Unfortunately, he was captured due to a very careless error. The original numbers were still showing through one of the paper dollars he melted the ink off of somehow. This report was from "Oklahoma's NewsChannel 4 (KFOR-TV)."

Such a news story made me think about what is going on with regards to our youth when it comes to talents and gifts. Many activities and programs are available to youth who are indeed talented and gifted, but there are consequences for those who do not take the responsibility of looking for constructive things their child or children can do to exercise such abilities. Granted, we live in a high - pace and high - tech world now, where it doesn't take as long to research for an essay paper, or where your computer can act as a communication device to the outside world without ever living your comfort zone. But a child who expresses a great deal of interest in something that is outside of their own home needs to, with great care, be able to step out and learn.

I recall my interest in weather forecasting as a 9 year old kid. I wanted to know what it was like working in a TV weather center, so my Dad and I visited several TV stations in the Dallas / Fort Worth area, learning about what Meteorologists were up to before their weather segments in TV newscasts. When I was doing my own forecasting, my Dad invested in a computer with internet capabilities so the entire family can do their work on computer. Mom had her time surfing the internet and writing friends online; Dad had his sermons to prepare; and I had my weather data saved and websites bookmarked. Our home office also was the weather center, where I had books, charts, maps, and reference tables to help me in better understanding Meteorology.

So, what are the actions to avoid when a child expresses interest in something, or has a keen desire to do a certain hobby or learn something new and exciting?

First, never ignore! What your child is asking or is in need of knowing about may be something that he or she can learn or use for later reference, or may even be a key to helping him or her reach a new level of desired interests. Your helpful hint or trip to a location may be the start of a new career or life goal for a child! If you ignore a child's interest, that could lead to a child thinking that the adult obviously doesn't care, and in turn, the child could turn around and not have much ambition or desire to do much of anything with his or her life. A child also observes adults who do not necessarily care about their life - goals, so be extra careful about the vibes you may be sending!

Second, be an observer! My parents noticed immediately that I watched a lot of news and a lot of cartoons. Anything that was related to TV and especially TV news, they did everything they could from visiting TV stations, to buying me books, to sharing with me magazines and pictures of different broadcast personalities, especially those whom were in my shoes when they were younger, and worked hard and strived to get to where they are today.