Is your child a future Olympic Champion?

At age 5, Megan Quann hated swimming because

she was afraid to put her head underwater. Megan

also hated swimming lessons but her father asked

her to continue taking lessons through the summer.

By the end of the summer, Megan won a swimming

meet and was excited about continuing her swimming

career. Megan Quann is now a young Olympic champion.

She won the gold medal in the women’s 100-meter

breaststroke. Quann’s father was instrumental in helping

Megan discover her swimming talent.

Parents can assist their children in developing their talents

by using the following tips:

First, help your child develop a winning attitude.

John Naber, ABC broadcaster and winner of four

gold medals in the 1976 Olympic Games in

Montreal observed: “The difference in finishing

first, second, or third is measured in fractions,

and you can spot them, on the starting blocks.

There are three levels: there’s the swimmer who

is going to win and he’s only concerned about

what he’s going to do. There’s the one who is

fighting to win but is probably going to finish

second and he’s very much concerned about

what the first swimmer is going to do. And then

there’s the guy who is going to finish third who

really doesn’t care what anybody does because

he’sjust out there on a lark. The one who will win

the gold medal is the one who is really expecting

to perform well.” The child who succeeds in any

field of endeavor- sports, music, science expects

to succeed. Parents play a major role in encouraging

child success-oriented attitude by helping develop

the child’s talents and nurturing a healthy self-esteem.

Second, develop a list of talent building activities. Wendy

Schwartz, author of How to Recognize and Develop Your

Child’s Special Talents says “parents can be very important

in helping their children develop their talents by working

with them at home. Parents can also make schools aware of

their children’s talents, and work with them to make sure

that their children are in a program that challenges them

intellectually and responds to their educational and

emotional needs. Schwartz encourages parents to include

the following activities on their list:

*Set high academic goals for your children- tell them that

success is possible, that they will benefit later in life from

doing well in school

*Find a mentor in your family or community who can help

your children develop their talents and serve as a role model

for academic achievement

*Take a parenting course in the community or at school that

teaches how to develop children’s talents

*Pay attention to what your child likes to do, such as a hobby,

drawing, orworking with numbers- help them develop those

skills

*Ask the school to provide training in recognizing signs of

talent in children

Third, expose your child to many different types of activities.

RaeLynne Rein, author of How to Develop You Child’s Gifts

and Talents concluded:

“Resist the temptation to push your daughter in a particular

direction. Expose her to many different types of activities:

sports, creative writing, performing arts, computers, and so

forth. Remember, most gifts and talents have inherent worth.

With your encouragement and support, your child will find

her ‘own voice.’