Multiple Intelligences

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (Psalm 139:14)

Parents all want their kids to be successful. Because many OBC parents came to the United States as students and scholars in the field of Math, Science, Technology and Engineering, our next generation have been stereotyped to excel in the same fields. Imagine how the ABCs would feel having to meet such unrealistic expectation all the time.

In his book, 7 Kinds of Smarts -- Identifying and Developing Your Many Intelligences, Thomas Armstrong wrote, "By definition intelligence is the ability to respond successfully to new situations and the capacity to learn from one's past experiences. " He then described the intelligence in word, picture, music, body, logic, people, and self.

Every child is unique and wants to feel competent and accepted. It is important for parents and teachers to expose children to many different areas of intelligence and to help them discover their strengths, instead of just pointing out their weaknesses. Focusing too much attention on words and numbers (or whatever) at the expense of their natural gifts and talents would only hurt the learning potential of blossoming children. Don't forget that success breeds successes.

Children can be learning a lot while they are playing. I encourage both parents to play various games with your child individually and together. Armstrong lists resources and games that aid the development of different types of intelligence. Children often learn best when they are having fun. I have helped many kids to think, feel and relate better using Play Therapy.

Another advantage of involving both parents is that your unique background, personality, learning style, interests, and intelligences can help your child develop left and right brain functions and social skills while building relationships. As an example, in my family, I played lego, Connect-Four, basketball, ping-pong, and music with our son, while my husband swam and played Risk, Battleship, Chess and other strategy games with him. We also played board games such as Sorry and Monopoly as a family. We all had fun and our son became well-rounded!

Our parents influenced us all. As a girl growing up in a traditional family that favored boys, I earned my B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and worked in the High Tech field for 19 years. I became a Software Development manager very early in my career because I enjoyed working with people much more than working with computers. Eventually I followed my passion and became a Marriage and Family Therapist. Now I also enjoy singing, writing, speaking and other creative things. I wish my parents could see me now.

Copyright © 2005 Parenting ABC