Passion from a young age
On Weekend Edition Saturday this morning, Scott Simon interviewed Nik Wallenda, the current top man (no pun intended) of the venerable troupe of aerialists, The Flying Wallendas. NW said he has been walking the wire for 30 years, since he was two years old. He is currently negotiating with the powers that be in the U.S. and Canada for permission to walk the high wire over Niagara Falls.
That point about beginning to train when he was two years old is what caught my attention and delighted me, giving additional support to my belief that starting children very early in learning useful skills makes them more complete, emotionally healthy, satisfied adults. Whether that means learning to walk a high wire, modeling, investing, developing a real musical or artistic skill, writing stories or poems, photography, gardening, or any of a hundred or so other activities, such development greatly increases the child's self-confidence, intelligence, and social skills, again, among many other benefits.
That point about beginning to train when he was two years old is what caught my attention and delighted me, giving additional support to my belief that starting children very early in learning useful skills makes them more complete, emotionally healthy, satisfied adults. Whether that means learning to walk a high wire, modeling, investing, developing a real musical or artistic skill, writing stories or poems, photography, gardening, or any of a hundred or so other activities, such development greatly increases the child's self-confidence, intelligence, and social skills, again, among many other benefits.