I am really lucky to have three talented kids. Ralph, my eldest, is a mathematician and a writer. Edgar, the middle son, is a visual artist and a musician. And Angel, the youngest and the only girl, is a dancer and, well, an angel. But all three of them can be any of those too – Ralph can sing, Edgar can dance, and Angel can definitely write.

It is obvious where they got the talent to write (ehem). I play the guitar and sing a little too, although I’m sure they got their musical talent from their mother, who has a beautiful voice. As for dancing, I’m definitely out of the equation. They got that from their mother!

So how can I best encourage these kids to further enhance their talents? I’m not really the type of father who would push my children by saying “Do this,” “This is what you should do,” “You should practice some more,” and the like. I am the type who teaches without really teaching.

I remember when Ralph was eight years old: I taught him how to move the chess pieces after seeing him playing with cousins. They were moving the chess pieces wrong! After that, I played chess with him whenever I had the chance. Of course, I always won. In Grade 6, he became the champion in his school’s chess tournament.

Now, I rarely play chess with him. Because I get headaches every time I do, and I no longer win!

For writing, I really don’t tell them what to write, or how to write. Being passionate about writing myself, I was hoping that, somehow, they would have it in their genes. So I just keep on writing. Their writing skills manifest whenever they have school projects that require writing: Angel made a script for a modern-day Cinderella story, Ralph wrote a math poem for his math scrapbook project, and Edgar also did a scrapbook that required a lot of writing.

There isn’t really much pushing required, as far writing is concerned. They were already writing short verses even before I became a blogger. I just need to be a little sneaky in order to find these ‘lost works’ of my kids.

For music, we sometimes have a ‘jam session’ where I, or for better results – Edgar, will play the guitar as we all sing together. It is a great time for bonding and gives Edgar a chance to enhance his guitar-playing skills.

And as for Angel’s dancing, she doesn’t really need any motivation or pushing at all. She loves to dance, and would practice by herself. She even makes her own choreography.

Talented kids I have. You can see these talents displayed during our family Christmas party.

The only motivation I give them, really, is to just let them do what they want to do. I just let them be.

Guest blogger Roy, a.k.a. The Struggling Blogger dabbles into poetry, crafts, songwriting, and as of late, short story writing. You can see samples of his works in his Short Stories Blog.

He plays the role of father and mother to his three kids. But most of the time, he is just their playmate.

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