When our kids are little, we want to sign them up for everything: soccer, sewing, dance, gymnastics, little league ball, science fairs, and karate. Chances are they will be good at some of these activities but not great at all of them. That’s because just like us, our kids are wired and created with certain talents and gifts.
These gifts and talents make our children special and unique. Our children were created with a purpose in mind and given a personality and skill set to equip them for that purpose.
Recognizing the Sweet Spots
Of course we want our children to be well-rounded and exposed to many opportunities, but it is wise for us to always be analyzing their areas of strength and gifting. We need to be asking ourselves questions about our children such as:
- What are his passions?
- Where does she thrive best?
- What does he enjoy most?
- What are her strengths and weaknesses?
In our family, we call this recognizing our sweet spots.
Our Role As Moms
Some kids naturally have a compassionate heart for serving and giving. We need to recognize and praise those qualities. Some children are very athletic, talented at art, exceptional at academics, or fantastic problem solvers. It is our role to create opportunities for them to use their time, talents, resources, and ideas to invest in others.
We have an unlimited number of resources to build upon their talents. All these qualities are meant to allow our children to thrive in the lives they are meant to lead.
Recognizing Those Gifts
As parents, we want to help our children recognize their gifts, talents, and strengths. We can then encourage them to sharpen and build on these skills to make this world a better place.
It is easy to find ourselves wanting our children to have certain natural tendencies and qualities that are similar to our own or maybe even similar to how we wish we were designed. By doing that, we drag our kids down and make them feel like they are not enough.
In raising 12 children, and watching a few of them already launch out into the world, it is such a joy to see them discover and sharpen their gifts and talents. It is a privilege to watch them not only use them to serve others, but to see them grow and thrive as a result.
Making Way for Gifts and Talents
In addition, I believe in encouraging–and even challenging–our children to be passionate about certain causes or places of need in our world. When they do, their passions make way for their gifts and talents to serve others. That is where they will find joy and satisfaction.
Gifts and talents often present themselves at a very young age. The good news is we have a few years to recognize them, then a few more to help mold our kids as a result of those character traits and skills. Then, our hope is that we can sit on the front row to watch our adult children flourish as they become world changers.
Wonderful piece. ❤️
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