An important part of growing up is identifying where your child’s interests and talents lie. This means letting them try things they appear to be really interested in.
The difficult part as a parent; however, is finding out if the new activity is something your child wants to seriously take on.
Here are some questions to ask yourself, courtesy of wiki.how:
1. Ask yourself if you have the time/energy/resources to invest in the activity/hobby your child wishes to engage in.
2. Consider your lifestyle at the moment. If, for example, you live on the prairie, and your child wants to learn to downhill ski, you may want to encourage another activity.
3. Try the activity with second hand equipment. The best way, if possible, to start a new activity is to do so with borrowed / hired equipment. It will be an immediate deterrent for the youngster who does not really want to do the activity as much as he/she actually wants the latest and greatest equipment to show off at school.
4. Find out where the interest came from. Sometimes a child may want to participate in activities, simply because their friends are there. It is therefore important to establish the origin of the interest in the new activity, and make sure that your child really wants to do this for themselves.
5. If you suspect that your child’s new-found interest is just a whim, do not discourage them but decide on a trial period. The trial period must be long enough to: test the child’s level of commitment, determine whether he will be able to cope with and incorporate the new activity without affecting their schoolwork and allow the child the opportunity to see whether this activity is really something they want to do.
