Talking to a Nine Year Old

This past Thanksgiving weekend Theresa and I spent some time camping with friends and family from Church. A girl and two boys were along and it was a joy to spend some time with them. I enjoyed getting to know the kids and what their passions are.

I asked the boys what they like to do. One loved baseball and the other just enrolled in karate lessons. In about a half an hour I discovered the youngest boy loved to hit the ball and run the bases. He does not like playing in the field because it was boring, the other teams cannot hit the ball so it is the same old thing.

This same young man the day before was ankle deep in mud during one of our hikes into the mud caves we visited near Agua Caliente Park in San Diego County. He just could not resist the lure of the mud.

The older of the two boys was more interested in exploring the caves and was the first to enter each cave. It was a joy to watch his excitement as each new cave offered learning experiences which built on the last cave.

The little girl was fascinated with the rocks. As we walked along I introduced her to names of some of the minerals in found in granite. She was fascinated. Later back at camp she decided that the shiny minerals in the granite had to be gold and wanted to scrape all of it off into a glass of water so she could inspect it. On our geocache hike later in the day she collected rock samples all the way back along the trail.

It only took a little observation and a few questions to determine some of the interests each child had. In the short amount of time we spent with these children and their families we were able to develop a clear picture of each child's passion. One in sports, one in adventure and one in discovery.

You have a storehouse of knowledge built over the years of just what excites your children. Use that information to introduce them to more of the things they seem to be driven to do. The payoff is very high and the cost can be just a few minutes of your time.