How to Nurture Your Children’s Talents

Every child is blessed with a variety of talents, and more often than not, it’s up to his parents to bring out those talents, enhance them, and nurture them. But how do you do so? We asked real moms for their insights, and here’s what they had to say!
“If my children are keen on a specific hobby and want to continue doing it without being forced then I support them all the way,” says Maritoni Tordesillas, mom of two. When her son was 12 years old, he was into painting and Kendo. At the time, she says, “He comes home with art works that keep getting better every time. With his Kendo, there are times when practice will take up most of his Saturday afternoon, yet he pursues it.”

Her daughter, meanwhile, was at the time into ballet. “She has the drive to know what she needs to work on and practices them without having to be told. One time, she had a fever of 39 degrees the night before a big performance. I thought she will not be able to make it but she managed to perform as if she was not sick at all.”

Lizelle Ilagan, mom of three, shares, “My daughter, Elizabeth, has always loved music. As a toddler, she would put her ear against the speaker of the TV whenever a song was played. At three, she joined the preschool percussion orchestra. She enjoyed learning how to play the marimba and enjoyed performing even more. Since she loves music so much, we bring her to concerts and musical plays. We buy CDs for her to listen to in the car or at home. My husband gave her his old iPod touch and loaded it with music and musical games.”

They signed up their daughter for marimba and piano lessons too!

Linnor Arreza-Rapes, mom of three, says, “All my boys are encouraged to pursue their interests be it in sports, music, or the arts. When they were younger and seemed not to know any better, we tried to expose them to different things. Sometimes they keep at whatever it is for a while until they shift their focus on to something they feel might be more interesting.”

“As parents, we let them know that we are always there for them in pursuing their interests, talents, and dreams,” she ends.

This story first appeared in Urban Mom magazine.