To an extent, we are all distracted by certain things. However, if you have a child that is particularly easy to become distracted then you need to keep reading.
I have a child, who shall go unnamed, that is very easily distracted đ
Now, just to clarify, this child does not have any learning disorders or anything. She is, however, highly creative. She loves all things art, drawing, writing, music, dancing, photography etc. She even enjoys sports too! While her interests are quite normal for a creative kid, my husband and I noticed early on that she was having a hard time sticking with just one thing from start to finish. She liked to jump around and pursue whatever seemed interesting on any given day. It would be common for her to quit halfway through a project or idea, hit a roadblock in her plan, and mosey off to the next fun thing. She was struggling to set or define any real goals for herself, which made it hard for her to see any actual progress she was making.
You are either one of two types of parents right now:
- You see nothing wrong with the description I just gave! Let the creative juices flow – why be bogged down with goals and boundaries?!
- You have a child just like this and have struggled to find effective ways to guide them without squelching their creativity.
No matter which way you may lean as a parent, when it comes to helping develop your child’s gifts, here are THREE helpful tips:
- The first step is recognizing itâs pretty normal for creative-type people to be easily distracted. It doesnât matter if they are a kid or an adult. Once they get an idea in their head they donât want to slow down and think about goals, skills needed, time management, or even if they will finish it! This doesnât mean something is necessarily wrong with them. They just need help developing healthy mindsets and habits. Thatâs where you come in.
- Speaking of mindsets and habits: the key thing you will want to establish for your child is helping them see the importance of perseverance. Help them understand that while it may seem hard to stick with something from start to finish now, it is a life skill that will greatly benefit them in the long run. It is also building their Godly character!
- Lastly, lead with a firm, patient heart. It is important that you see your child’s creativity as a gift. Because it is. Affirm how beautiful and wonderful their ideas and creativity really are. Yet, it is just as important that you donât allow them to determine how they are going to go about all aspects of their growth in this area. Autonomy is important; but that is not an excuse as a parent to not teach them how to grow their skills, manage their time, set goals, and consistently see things from start to finish. Be patient, because itâs likely you will need to repeat things often to help redirect them before habits take root.
If you have made it this far then I want to leave you with this encouragement:
The fun part is the more consistent you are as the parent in the things listed above, the more rewarding the outcome for both you and your child. Remember, you donât have to teach your child how to be creative. Your job is to help them learn essential skills so they can grow and flourish as God has intended. Donât give into the pressure of letting your kid make all the decisions just so they have âcreative freedom.â And donât back away when they give you pushback. There are going to be times when they donât want to finish something, and youâre going to have to be firm enough to say âno.â Having a quitters mindset is not an option!
It may take some time; but once your child sees the outcome of finishing things, sticking with something even when itâs hard, and setting healthy goals they will have a new sense of satisfaction. Their confidence will grow, and now having newly acquired skills the opportunities to succeed are endless!
