Stop trying to ‘fix’ your kids and nurture their natural talents instead.

By Kaitlin Ahern

Your kid loves to be the center of attention. She’s the type to run onto the playground, yell “Watch me!”, and make monkey noises while hanging upside down on the monkey bars.

If that sounds familiar, one of your child’s strengths may be her presence; and to nurture that strength, you may want to consider different ways she can lead by example, whether by showing other kids how to stop bullying or how to perform a dance routine.

This is just one example of strengths-based parenting, which encourages parents to quit dwelling on their children’s weaknesses and instead, help them develop their natural talents. “Innate talents—those behaviors, thoughts, and feelings that come naturally to you—don’t change much over time,” says Mary Reckmeyer, Ph.D., executive director of Gallup’s Donald O. Clifton Child Development Center. “Parents should embrace their own and their child’s natural talents, inclinations, and interests instead of putting most of their energy into ‘fixing’ what’s wrong or pushing their child to be someone else’s idea of perfect.”

This excellent article was originally published here – http://www.parents.com/parents-magazine/parents-perspective/how-strengths-based-parenting-can-help-your-kid-thrive/

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