Every child is born with a inherent talent, and that is without exception. Your child may be outstanding at some type of sport, or a gifted artist whose niche is drawing cartoon characters. Your child could be blessed with an ear for music, the gift of the gab and a natural born actor, or you may be looking at the next Shakespeare. Whatever your child's calling may be it is your job as his parent to help him realize it and bring it to its full potential.

The best way to find out what your child has an aptitude for is to observe him while he is at play. When your child is doing something that he really has a passion for he will get lost in it and it will be like he zones out with no concept of the time; he may even forget to eat. With my youngest daughter I noticed she would sing to her favorite songs in her room with her headphones on, for hours on end. I would call her for dinner and she wouldn't answer and finally I would send her little brother to knock on her door and tell her to come to the table for dinner. It was like she was in her happy place and the rest of the world didn't exist.

In most cases as a child ages he starts to lose passion for the things he loves. We as parents need to ask ourselves what we can do to keep that passion burning in our children's hearts and minds. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is the head of Psychology at the University of Chicago and is best known for his study of happiness and creativity. He has written many books on this topic; one in particular, "Flow: The Psychology of Optimum Experience", documents his theory that there is a direct correlation between passionate interest and true happiness. Your child has a better chance of feeling fulfilled if he finds his true calling and an added bonus is that it may be a starting point for a future career. A child who has direction in his life also has less chance of getting involved in drugs or alcohol or hanging out with the wrong crowd.

Try to find your child's talent at as young an age as possible. Watch your child while he is playing. See what he is drawn to and what makes him happy, but do keep in mind that this will change as he gets older. Try exposing him to different cultures, museums, arts, sports and other activities. Look at your child's strengths and interests. Let your child be an individual by not making him participate in the same activities that his siblings are involved in, unless he really shows a knack for it and he thoroughly enjoys it.

Finally, it is very important not to impose your own dreams on your children, for that is a sure fire way for them to lose interest.