Met a friend over coffee yesterday and was updated that his 11-year-old son has topped in Science in his GEP (Gifted Education Programme) class and now into Diploma level for his violin. His 8-year-old daughter (not as smart as the brother, so he said) is at Grade 7 for her piano and has cleared the 1st level selection for GEP. The father was not boasting at all. We knew each other for a long time yet he hardly spoke about his kids and their exellent academic performances.
What was the 'secret' in raising 2 extremely intelligent children? Many but the primary - a stay-home-mum's commitment, discipline and a spirit for winning. Surely, this pair of parents is the envy of many including myself. So obviously with such stars in the family, they must be spared the academic stress experienced by the typical Singaporean family? I found out more.
While the kids are quite self-motivated (given the years of nurturing in this aspect), they are constantly working towards being the top amongst the best. The expectations for them to excel beyond the ordinary and almost all the time proves to be as real - the pressure from self, peers, coaches, teachers and society... even for their music. The parents are now at a crossroad - to consider having their elder send oversea for his music at his tender age. Along with this, come the issue of financing even if he was to be given a scholarship. How about guardianship? How about the child's lifestyle and what if he could not make it at the top? That's another kind of stress that the mainstream might be glad not to have to address.
So performance is likened to wealth - the more you have, the more you will want. There is no ceiling. And stress is a result of expectations/desire. How much does one need to forego or invest in to achieve the desired result? What about you?
