The year was 1847 and a young baby boy, the youngest of seven, was born in Ohio. He was a rather sickly child and only three of his siblings survived until adulthood. He had very little formal education leaving school at the age of 9. (although one story says he was kicked out because he was stupid!). So how can you inspire your children’s learning?

Well, his Mother Nancy took it upon herself to educate her son, to inspire  his learning. In fact in later years this boy who became, arguably, the worlds best inventor said of his Mother:

“My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me, and I felt I had someone to live for, someone I must not disappoint.”

So how can you inspire children’s learning?

You see the decision by Nancy, the boys Mother, to nourish the genius within her child has greatly increased the quality of life of the whole planet, believe it or not? Every time you walk into a room and turn on a light you are benefiting from her belief in her child. Every time you go to a movie you’re benefiting from her belief in her child. Every time you listen to a record you’re benefiting from her belief in her child.

It’s no accident that children come into our lives and we as adults/parents/teachers have a duty and big responsibility to nourish them as best we can and more! For the next generation will stand on our shoulders provided we have given them loving, wise and intelligent shoulders to stand upon!

What did Nancy Edison see in her child to inspire her child’s learning? She saw a genius with infinite potential. Is it in every child? Absolutely! It’s in every human being period! It’s not just in some, it’s in everyone! When we start to believe this, we start to act on it and we treat our children as the genius that they truly are.

How to Inspire Your Children’s Learning in three simple steps today:

1. See their Genius – See the genius within them! See the unlimited potential within them! As Einstein said “Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
   
2. Celebrate their Steps – Celebrate every step they take, whether a perceived “success” or “failure”. Celebrate their effort and joyously learn from any perceived “failure”! As was famously said by Nancy’s child in later life “I have not failed 10,000 times, I have found 10,000 ways that don’t work!” Celebrate, be patient and inspire them to continue to love learning for life!
3. Give them Full Attention  – apart from our love, what’s the most important thing we can give our children? What do you think? Is our attention important? Is our full undivided attention important? (i.e. not half on the phone and half on them!) When we give our children our full undivided attention they realise how much we love them, how important they are to us and how much we believe in them. It feeds their seeds of genius!

Nancy’s son was Thomas Edison. To this day he has the greatest number of patents for person in history – 1,093 and “To seek his monument turn on the light!”

“Treat a child as they are and they will remain as they are, treat them as they can and should be and they will become as they can and should be” – Unknown

Take the three steps today and celebrate the genius that is your child!

Sean M Kelly, Trainer, Speaker, Author, Musician
www.seanMkelly.com

PS: What questions would you like to ask? What comments would you like to leave?