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2008/06/04

Bringing up a genius
By : MEERA MURUGESAN

Cheong, wants her daughter to have plenty of friends and enjoy doing different
things.
Parents have to tread a thin line when it comes to giving their
gifted children a balanced upbringing, says MEERA
MURUGESAN.

THEIR ambitions can range from farmer to forensic scientist and their
talents be just as varied.

Having a gifted child in the family may often make one the envy of
others, but speak to any parent of such a child, and they’ll tell you
there are unique challenges in raising such children.

These parents have to find a way to help their children develop their
full potential while ensuring they never miss out on the joys and
Adi Putra still needs the love and care of his
experiences of childhood.
mother, Seri Hana

For Bugs Tan, a father of two talented young daughters, striking a

balance means encouraging his children’s creativity but respecting their right to develop at their own pace.
An award-winning inventor, and the co-founder and vice-president of the Malaysia Association of Creativity
and Innovation (Macri), Tan, was naturally delighted when both his daughters showed an early inclination for
coming up with creative ideas for new inventions.

Both girls, Amanda, 14 and Amelia, 12, have since gone on to win awards for their inventions, both locally
and on the international front. Amelia in particular, has about 50 inventions to her name.

“As a parent, it’s naturally very exciting when your child takes after you, but my wife and I were determined
that the girls never be pressured or pushed into anything despite the attention and recognition they have
received,” said Tan.

Tan and his family were among a group of parents and gifted children who were invited to Putrajaya recently
for a gathering initiated by Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor, the wife of the deputy prime minister. The
aim of the gathering was to gain a better understanding of the needs of such children and how best to
provide for them.

Both Amelia and Amanda are not in any special programme for talented children and attend national
schools. Amelia, who loves to play on the computer, spends quite a bit of her time sketching illustrations of
her inventions, while Amanda, whose favourite subjects are English and Mathematics, enjoys being
outdoors, playing games or being around animals.

“They both have unique personalities and just like sisters anywhere, they quarrel and make up and enjoy
different things. As a father, I’m proud of their talents but I also understand their need for a normal life. They
are individuals who are talented, but we want them to develop as happy children as well.”

Tan’s views are shared by the parents of whiz kid, Adi Putra Abdul Ghani. Despite his amazing ability to
solve complex mathematical equations and the attention this has drawn, Adi Putra’s parents have strived to
ensure that their son has a childhood that’s similar to any other 10-year-old boy.

Adi Putra may be in his element giving talks and seminars on Mathematics, but he also enjoys swimming
and fishing and playing with other children in his neighbourhood.

The boy who admits he “likes Math and a little bit of Science”, is both genius and child rolled into one.
While people may assume he spends all his time hunched over books, he is actually just like any other child
and has plenty of friends his age said his mother, Seri Hana Elias.

“Children who are gifted, should never be treated like lab experiments simply because they have amazing
abilities. They are still children and they need a life filled with play, love and care,” said his father, Abdul
Ghani Abdul Wahid.

The tragic case of child genius Sufiah Yusof, has also driven home the fact that spiritual and religious
guidance is crucial for gifted children, added Abdul Ghani.

A normal upbringing and a happy childhood is what Latifah Henderson and Cheong Kim Tho, two other
mothers are also aiming for their daughters.

Both women have signed up with the National Association for Gifted Children to gain more exposure and
understanding of the issue.

In the case of Amelia, Latifah’s 3½ year-old daughter, a friend pointed out that the toddler was doing things
at a much faster rate than her peers and Latifah signed up with the association so she could be better
educated about dealing with such children.

Amelia, comes across as a happy toddler, excited about exploring her surroundings. She also enjoys
swimming and dancing.

“I know how important it is for her to grow at her own pace. If she’s interested in something, like ballet for
example, we will let her pursue it, but never force anything on her,” said Latifah.

Cheong, does the same for her eight-year-old daughter, Kam Su-Sze, who attends an international school.

Articulate and confident, Kam showed signs of being a high-achiever when she was just two-and-a-half-
years old, setting a record by swimming 50 metres.

At four, she was complaining that her mother was reading her bedtime stories too slowly and has since
developed into a voracious reader herself. But just like any other child, Kam, also enjoys playing outdoors,
drawing and watching TV.

“She’s doing a lot of different things and enjoying all of them. I want her to be happy and to have a lot of
friends. If she’s happy, success will come naturally.”

An avenue for gifted children

GIFTED children can be well-rounded individuals if their potential is developed and their other needs are
met as well, said Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor.

It’s important that these children be given the support they need to maximise their talents, and at the same
time, receive guidance and care so they don’t go astray, she added.

“Many parents of gifted children feel frustrated because of the lack of facilities to cater for their children,”
said Rosmah.
As a result, many such children leave for study overseas and are even offered scholarships and citizenship
by these foreign countries and their talents are lost to Malaysia.

But this problem may soon be addressed given that a proposal has been submitted to the government on
the need for an education programme targeted at gifted children, said Rosmah.

“It’s believed that of every 100 children, at least two would be gifted and given that we have six million
children under the age of 10 in the country, one can only imagine how many such talented children we
have,” she said.

It’s important that we identify who these children are, whether they are in the rural or urban areas and help
them develop their talent, said Rosmah.

“I’m willing to be at the forefront of this issue. These children are after all the country’s assets and they
deserve to be given the opportunity to develop to their full potential,” she said.