6 Mistakes Parents Make that Stifle Their Child's Intelligence
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Would Beethoven be Beethoven if he had been born in another time, another place, and to a family with no musical talent?
Would Tiger Woods be Tiger Woods if he hadn't grown up playing golf from a young age and been surrounded by golfers?
Would the Polgar sisters be the Polgar sisters if they hadn't grown up immersed in the world of chess and first-rate chess players?
To all of the above, the answer is unequivocally no! Genius doesn't happen in a vacuum; it is bred. Anyone savvy enough can raise a genius.
“Everyone is born a genius, but the process of living de-geniuses them.”
What do all three of the aforementioned people have in common? They each had a father who pushed them to become great at something.
You may be a highly intelligent person, and your offspring may also have the potential for above-average intelligence, but whether they become highly intelligent or not will depend upon how you raise them.
On the other hand, you may have average intelligence, but if you believe that you can raise a genius, and you set out to figure out how, and you implement the strategies that you learn, then chances are you will either succeed or get close enough.
For sure, you'll raise a much more intellectually precocious child than you would have had you not tried.
Below is a list of six mistakes parents make that you want to avoid making if you would like to raise a near-genius or even a genius:
Don't put your child into school
Homeschool him/her instead. While no studies prove that homeschooled children are smarter, if there were studies conducted, I'd bet my life they would show that homeschooled children are more intelligent.
“Colleges hate geniuses, just as convents hate saints.”
Why do I say this? Because children homeschooled well (not all homeschools are equal) are trained to use their minds, and consequently, their intellects are more developed. It would logically follow that they would grow up to be more intelligent.
Also, homeschooled children are more likely to come from families who provide a more intellectually stimulating environment in the home, which is significant.
There are more reasons why a homeschooled child would be more intelligent (I teach a whole course on this subject alone!), but these two reasons should suffice for now.
Before we continue, we should qualify the term homeschooling. I'm not referring to virtual schools or public-schools-at-home, but to a state-free education with a challenging curriculum.
It’s the much easier and more effective way to homeschool contrary to what most people are led to believe.
Do not let your child use technology
There is no quicker way to make a child utterly stupid in relation to intellectual precocity than by indulging him in hand-held devices or any other kind of electronics, including educational software and television programs.
Allowing your child to watch Sesame Street or play video games is about the worst thing you could do.
Do not take on outside work that separates you from your young child
That you are present as a mother during your child's formative years from birth to age seven is vital to his intellectual development.
To the best of your ability, and it isn’t always easy to do today as so many women have to work, but arrange your life so that you can afford the luxury of either staying home with your baby or bringing your baby to work.
The contemporary message mothers get is that its fine to go to work and your baby will do just as well, but this is an untruth. Children are not just fine, as is evidenced by earlier and earlier symptoms of depression, anxiety, frequent illnesses, emotional instability, and suicide during childhood.
Think back on your own childhood when your mother went out and left you behind. Remember the anxiety you felt when she shut the door and was suddenly gone? Think of the joy, too, that you felt when she returned, and all was right with the world again.
I remember these moments well; I'm sure you do too.
Why do we think babies are so different today?
Don't surround your child with ordinary or mediocre people
This isn’t about being a snob but you have to find people who have excelled in their fields and let them be role models for your child. Your child has to understand what's possible for him or her too.
Do not decide for your child what it is your child should love
You can still succeed at raising a genius if you do, but you have a better chance of raising a genius if you expose your child to many experiences and subjects and talented people during his elementary years.
When he discovers the thing that ignites his heart, whether it be an academic subject, a fine art, or a sport, it's the spark you're after as that will determine whether or not he will develop enough motivation over the years to eventually become great.
Motivation is the deciding factor. When we love something enough, we do it for its own sake. The motivation is inherent in the love of the thing we do.
Do not push your child too soon
People who excel tend to fall in love with their object of interest first, and later, when they are older—around the teenage years—they begin to train for excellence seriously.
“Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.”
The desire for training from comes from the heart of the student, so let it unfold in its own time and at its own pace.
If you want to raise a genius, and I would encourage you to do so, the above points are a few pitfalls you want to avoid.
Lastly, what do we mean by genius? It's the state of acquiring a level of mastery in one or more areas combined with originality.
Genius is the sum total of many years of discipline and practice and hard work.
Genius is rooted in creativity; that's why getting the early years right is so vital to all that follows. The seeds of creativity sprout in the formative years from birth to age seven, but this is a whole other topic.
“I’ve concluded that genius is as common as dirt. We suppress genius because we haven’t yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women. ”
Homeschool the smart way by joining the Smart Homeschooler Academy to learn how to give your child the best of an elite education at home. Enrollment is open through April 15, 2020 with reduced Covid-19 prices to help those in need.
How to Raise a More Intelligent Child and an Excellent Reader—a free guide and book list with over 80+ carefully chosen titles.
Elizabeth Y. Hanson is an educator, veteran homeschooler, former practicing acupuncturist, and a Love and Leadership certified parenting coach with 17 years experience working in children’s education.
Using her unusual skill set, she has developed a comprehensive and unique understanding of how to raise and educate a child, and she devotes her time towards helping parents get it right.
A veteran homeschooler, she has successfully homeschooled two children who are now in college.
