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| Eve and Richard Branson |
I have had many parents call me up for the Young Entrepreneur Camp I organize annually, and ask if the camp can help their shy children. And based on the number of similar calls I receive, I'm guessing that there are a lot shy kids around.
So, if you are a mother of a shy child, what would you do?
Some parents apologize to people, saying "Sorry, my son is so shy" or "Oh dear, I'm truly sorry, she is just shy". If you approach this challenge this way, then read on.
Eve, mother of Richard was faced with this challenge years ago. She realized that her young child was extremely shy and would hide behind her dress and just refuse to speak to adults. It became so bad, it was disabling. One day, after a shopping trip, Eve asked her son to get out of her car about 3 miles away from home, and find his way home on foot. "What if I get lost?!" asked the bewildered child. "Well then, you'd have to ask for directions from the adults you meet along the way".
10 hours late, Richard came home. And his shyness was cured. He had asked many people for directions on how to get home (and stopped for awhile to play with bugs), but when he got home, he was a different child.
Today, this young boy is Richard Branson.
And he thanks his mother everyday for that experience he will never forget.
You cannot be an entrepreneur or a business person or succeed in any career if you are shy - or unable to share your thoughts with others or work in a team.
I for one, believe that an entrepreneurial attitude and business sense, if instilled in kids at a young age, will teach them the essence of life. Success come easily to whole-rounded individuals.
If you are a parent, here are some very important life lessons you can teach your kids:
1- Teamwork.
No matter what your child grows up to be, understanding the essence of teamwork if pivotal. Learning about teamwork is more than just listening to a lecture on why geese fly in a V shape. Theoretically, everyone is a good team player - but the raw truth is that many people cannot work in teams. A good way to start kids off in teams would be to put them in team sports.
2- Support their Skills.
From a very young age, you will know what your child is interested in. I like to spend time learning about human psychology by watching TV shows - and one of my favourites is Jon and Kate Plus 8 (now just Kate Plus 8), a story about a family of one set of twins and one set of sextuplets. I like how Kate, the mum, knows exactly what her kids are into. One boy loves trying to make things fit. He loves Lego. Another boy loves to make sure everything is organized properly before he plays his games, and picks up after himself. One girl simply loves attention, and gravitate to people naturally. So when you see your kids have certain interests, support them. In an interview I had with Norman from KRU, he shares how his father bought him a guitar at a very young age because he realized his boys loved music. There are many stories out there that prove the important roles parents play in moulding their children into successful people.
3- Etiquette and Respect for Others
Once, during my camp, I had a very aggressive 9-year old. He would strive to win every challenge, but I began to realize something in him - he lacked the element of respect. He pushed the girls in his team around, would speak rudely to the facilitators, but would only do so when I was not looking. In front of me, he was an angel. When his team did not win the final challenge, he was really angry. He came up to me, and in the heat of things, said "If we lose everything, then I'll tell my father never to send me to this camp again!". Why is having etiquette and respect so important? It may be true that when you rudely swerve in front of others in traffic or use the emergency lane when driving may get you to work on time, it is plain rude. Why succeed on someone else's expense when there can always be a win-win. This is an extremely important lesson to teach kids - and the best way is through leadership by example.
Every successful individual has stories to share about their parents.
While some rave about how their parents have helped them succeed, others share how their parents never gave them any support.
Of course, in the current day and age that we live in, doing what Eve Branson did to her son might not be the safest thing in the world. It's not what she did, really. It's why she did it; and we can definitely emulate the way she thinks.
The ball is in your court, so choose wisely!
This post is dedicated to all mothers and fathers, all the Eve Bransons who defied convention and sometimes gone against what they believed, to support their children to become the successes they are today.
Happy Mothers' and Fathers' Day!
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