Go Out and Look for It

While I was growing up, I discovered many of my now interests. I even had passions! At an early age as six years old I loved to dance. LOVED. ADORED, even. From ballet to hip-hop. I took classes until I was 14 years old. For eight years I danced my a** off, with passion and devotion. When I got 11, I realised that music was a major part of my life since I was in my mother’s stomach. My father used to play guitar to my mom, so I would stop moving or kicking her belly. So, for five years I was in a music program at school. I played flute and piano in a harmonic orchestra (made of wind instruments only, in comparison with a symphonic orchestra that has both wind and strings instruments). Being in this program throughout my high school years helped me to have good grades and to keep me focused on positive stuff, even though I was going through some tough situations that got me really depressed for few years.

During my music’s exploration, I discovered the art of photography. I remember I was in third grade in high school (so I was around 15 years of age), and I was so excited because my dad would let me use his expensive Nikon camera. I took pictures of everything and nothing, I just wanted to take photographs. My mother told me I used to steal my dad’s old camera when I was about seven years old. So, the interest was always there, in me. I continued to explore photography and I bought my own camera; a Canon Rebel EOS T3 (2015). When I turned 17, I applied to colleges (“cegep”, in Quebec, Canada). And now, here I am! I’ve been studying photography for three years now.

I must thank my parents for the chance they gave me as a child to explore my interests, whatever they were, they encouraged me. It helped me in a lot of ways! For example, when I was a teenager, it didn’t take me that long to define who I was and what I wanted in life. These experiences taught me how to be confident, how to make good decisions for myself because I am the only one who knows myself that well. The point I am trying to make here is that parents should listen to their children more. What do you like to do? What would you like to do outside of school? Something relaxing, something more active, something artsy, etc. Ask them. As a child, you don’t want to think about school all the time. You need an activity, a distraction, something that will make you happy and enjoy life. Your children will thank you later for listening to them and letting them explore who they are.

Before their teenage years, children are sponges. It’s the best moment as a parent to show your child some parts of what life is so they can start to forge their own visions and opinions. Doing something they like (without being forced to) is one of the best feelings when you’re young. That’s an important point: don’t give obligations to your kid. It will do the opposite effect; they will lose interest. They will associate this activity to their “negative experiences” list and it will follow them for the rest of their life. Don’t be that parent, don’t make your child do something they hate! That’s just torture! And it’s not because your kid is good at something that they like do to it. Like me, I’m good at sports, but that doesn’t make me want to become an athlete.

Overall, the point is, let your children express themselves in what they do. It will follow them forever, make them risk-takers and they will know who they are in a gentler way than if they had to look for themselves for years. It will be easier for you, parents, to talk with your child through difficult times of their life.

I hope it will clear things up for some lost teenagers and/or parents!