Your child is a genius! Children are small wonders who are waiting to be shaped and are capable of shaping a parent’s life. All it takes for a child to grow to be a mastermind in his later phase is the attitude.
As parents, we as a lot are very overprotective. We need to learn to let our kids move out of their cocoons and take risks outside. The spirit of risk-taking is a must for a future entrepreneur.
I remember as a kid I was super demanding, stubborn yet pampered kid. This saga of pampering went on till I started making demands of new toys and dresses every other day. At 6, father asked me to save money if I wanted a new cycle. He gave me a glass jar and asked me to put money in it for my cycle.
According to this story, my father couldn’t buy himself a cycle because he didn’t religiously put money in a jar. All I could think in my free time was of ways to fill up that jar with notes and coins. I asked my maid and my mother if they would give me money if I helped them in doing their chores. (That was a great learning for me and a big surprise for them).
There was this one time I had put the whole bundle of notes in my jar, which was apparently all the money required to run the family for a month. The household went crazy after that. I learned my lesson of not putting money in the jar that is not earned by me.
As a grown up I analyzed what lessons I took from that episode as a child:
• I understood the value of money early on in life.
• I had started thinking of ways to generate money.
• I understood how no work is bad if it is done with the right intention.
• I understood the importance of saving money.
• On a sunny note though, I learned not to take others money without asking.
Subsequently while growing up I had a good idea about my core strengths. I had understood that using these could help me generate enough money to maintain a more than average lifestyle while studying.
It helped me to be independent, confident and have a better approach towards rainy days that a student comes across. Popular surveys on child growth suggest that young entrepreneurs deal with pressure better than their peers.
Below are mentioned some very effective ways to harness your kid’s entrepreneurial skills at an early stage in life:
1. Teach Your Kid How to Solve Problems Early On
Leave aside your protective cape as a parent. Teach your child how to figure out how problems are temporary. Discuss how to solve a problem with her/ him.
Once the skill of problem-solving is harnessed in your kid, she/he can find out business ideas on the day to day activities. Let the child know that you are there to help them approach a problem. State out the pros and cons for the child and let her/him figure out the solution.
2. Let The Kid Learn from His Failure
The kid is like a clean slate; it takes everything it sees around her/him. You need to teach your child to try, to take risks.
It is important that kids understand that trying is the first step to a success story and failing is normal. The kid should have a positive approach to deal with failures. It was rightly said by someone,” Failure is success if we learn from it “.
3. Be Okay with Your Child Taking His Decisions
Kids are known for their abstract and unpredictable nature. So a kid taking a decision usually doesn’t go well with parents.
But parents need to realize how dependent a child becomes in this process later in life. Taking decisions tend to make kids responsible and take charge of their actions. It could be as simple as choosing what to eat for dinner or choices of dresses they want to wear. Limiting the number of options makes the decision-making process easier for them.
4. Allow Your Kid to Take Risks
A very important trait of an entrepreneur is his adaptability to unfavorable circumstances. This trait does not come overnight. Kids should be able to understand their boundaries and need to test them. T
his will help the kid to fight her/his fears early. Help your kid to navigate through when she/he is in a risky situation and let them take charge gradually. This process empowers your kid and makes them confident about taking risks.
5. Allow The Kid to Be Unconventional
The times are changing and so are the kids. The upbringing that worked for you might not work as effectively for your kid.
Kids are usually taught to follow the parents. Encourage them to asks questions constructively about different norms that you follow.
Ask them what they think about a certain practice and how they think could it be better. By doing this you are encouraging your child not to follow rules blindly without knowing the reasons.
6. Encourage Your Kid to Have Discussions with an Entrepreneur
It does not necessarily mean a very successful entrepreneur. Kids usually take a lot of inspiration from people around them.
Meeting a person who has already taken the path they want to take, motivates them to move forward consistently. This makes it easier for the kid to have a real life mentor she/he can look up to. Most importantly it helps the kid to bypass pitfalls and boosts up their success stories.
About The Author
Mary Jones has authored blogs and many digital publications.