How to encourage your talented child without pushing too hard

Performance psychologist Michael Gervais, PhD, shares expert advice for parents of talented children on how to encourage them to reach their potential without pushing too hard
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How to encourage your talented child without pushing too hard

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When we have talented children there's this balance that we're looking for to challenge and support them. And so how do we challenge them on a regular basis to be better as people first and as athletes second? The way we do this is by supporting them. It's like building a net and helping them climb as high as they can knowing that this net is safe. So we want to support our children no matter what they do, no matter how they engage in life. We have unconditional love for them. And that true support becomes a net, a basis for them to be able to leap, to explore, to jump. And when they can look for challenge and they can be stimulated by figuring out how good they are when they engage themselves in the enjoyment of exploring, we don't need to challenge them. We need to set the stage, we need to set the environment so that they can feel safe enough to explore, because it's great to grow, it's wonderful to try to figure out how I can be more full in my life. So set the stage so that they can explore that on their own.

Performance psychologist Michael Gervais, PhD, shares expert advice for parents of talented children on how to encourage them to reach their potential without pushing too hard

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Michael Gervais, PhD

High Performance Psychologist

Dr. Michael Gervais, a licensed psychologist and industry visionary, is a founding partner of Pinnacle Performance Center. He focuses most of his time on people at the "top of their game," from NBA players, to Olympians, to military personnel. Dr. Gervais has a clear understanding of how performers become and consistently excel at a world-class level. Spending years in the trenches of high-stakes circumstances, Dr. Gervais has developed clarity for the tools that allow people to "thrive under pressure."

Dr. Gervais is a published, peer-reviewed author and a nationally recognized speaker on issues related to high performance for those who excel on the largest stages in the world.

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Transcription: 
When we have talented children there's this balance that we're looking for to challenge and support them. And so how do we challenge them on a regular basis to be better as people first and as athletes second? The way we do this is by supporting them. It's like building a net and helping them climb as high as they can knowing that this net is safe. So we want to support our children no matter what they do, no matter how they engage in life. We have unconditional love for them. And that true support becomes a net, a basis for them to be able to leap, to explore, to jump. And when they can look for challenge and they can be stimulated by figuring out how good they are when they engage themselves in the enjoyment of exploring, we don't need to challenge them. We need to set the stage, we need to set the environment so that they can feel safe enough to explore, because it's great to grow, it's wonderful to try to figure out how I can be more full in my life. So set the stage so that they can explore that on their own.