Dear Parent
We all want our children to be all-rounders. Teacher’s pet, the most popular kid in class who aces academics with ease and shines in extra-curriculars as well.
But is it really so important to be an all-rounder? What about introverted inventors who gifted hundreds of inventions to the world? What about school drop-outs whose art wowed the world?
Maybe your child wasn’t meant to be an all-rounder. Maybe she’ll be a zero in sports but a dynamic speaker. Or a quiet, unassuming scientist working on breakthrough medical research. Could your focus on developing all-round capability distract her from the pursuit of meaningful specialisation?
Do you regard yourself an all-rounder? If not, do you think you have had a bad life?
Of course, it’s hard to get rid of all our expectations, but perhaps we could canalise them into exploring our children’s real interests and inclinations to help them give of their best at a pace with which they are comfortable. And they might by far exceed your expectations!