Dr. Boyce Watkins
Ask yourself this question: Would your rather see more kids memorize lyrics to a hip-hop song or learn how to count to ten in Spanish? Would you prefer that they spent their free time watching BET or learning the capitals to every state in the nation?
Anala knows the location of all states in the US and also knows the names of all state capitals. She keeps a map of the country everywhere she goes, implying that she doesn’t just have a high IQ, her parents put that IQ to work on productive endeavors.
Sabrina Beevers, Anala’s mother, told Yahoo News that the little girl is constantly correcting the grammar of other family members.
It appears that this child is going to go to high places. Most studies show that the manner by which you invest in your children when they are young determines their potential into adulthood. So, when you think about what you’re doing with your kids on a daily basis, you must ask: Are you raising the next Barack Obama or the next Lil Wayne? Both of these men are geniuses, but their genius is applied in very different ways.
Financial Juneteenth lessons from this story:
1) Our children are our greatest investment. They can be turned into either assets or liabilities, depending on how you utilize that power.
2) Potential means nothing if you don’t develop it. If your child has a gift, invest in that gift and encourage them to push it to the limit. Also, try to use this as a chance to help them learn to stick with things, this will carry over into adulthood.
3) If your child does have a gift, you should also give them the gift of humility and conscientiousness. Another young genius, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., also showed potential at an early age. His father, being the great man that he was (every bit as great as his son), not only developed his genius by challenging him, he also gave him principles and values which led him to use that genius for the betterment of all mankind. It’s not enough to make your child into a successful person. It’s even more important to make them into a GOOD person.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance PhD, Financial contributor to Jet Magazine, and author of the book, “Everything you ever wanted to know about college”. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.
