Would You Test Your Child's DNA to Find Out his/her Strengths or Weaknesses?

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If you can save thousands of dollars instead of sending your child to every enrichment class under the sun in hopes of grooming the next sportsman /singer/ political leader/ CEO / dancer / artist etc, would you do it? Would you allow your child to take a DNA test (at least 2k) of finding out her/his strengths, characteristics, traits and such - even though the results are supposedly to be 100% correct? Or are you going to allow your child to take up whatever interest she/he wants and hopes that she will just sustain this interest in the long run?

When I first read about Map My Gene, I was surprised. Not only has Science now really scale new heights in the arena of parenting but such great leap at that.  A global company, it has been gathering quite an interest from parents, scientists and such. It has also partner with some centres as well. Currently, for $1,980, it will supposedly show you results in 40 areas of your child - including EQ, IQ, artistic, athletics and many more. The company will also help to recommend suitable careers for your child down the road!



Case Studies
As all accompanying articles, there will be testimonials on how useful this test will be and usually, you will find that they are positive. Some testimonials talked of how they realised that certain parents have unrealistic expectations for their children (especially if they have more than one as they will make comparisons) and some realised that their kids really do have different strengths and abilities. Yet, there are others who believe that one should trust their instinct as a parent and should develop the strengths and weakness of their children on their own instead.

At this point, the second part makes me smile. If we instinctively know what to do as a parent (unless we spend a very large number of time with the child but also, we do receive questions from SAHM as well); why is it that the we often receive complaints from parents aboout their children, have no idea of how differently their children can behave in schools than in their homes, or being asked to discipline their children for them for they have no control over them. It seems to me that their interests and emotional needs obviously haven't been met somewhere as they were growing up instead of using the plain old statistics of "he/she comes from a complete family" routine.

What My Husband Said
Out of curiosity, I talked to my husband about it. I asked him of his opinions about sending his child to a test like that (I admit - it did cross my mind). Other than the usual "You are too kiasu and you think too far ahead", he then cited that the money can be used for a much better purpose ... such as sending her for enrichment courses. To me, it was like... DUH! An enrichment course in any interest can easily cost up to more than 2K.

What Happens if the Kid loses Interest in the Enrichment Quickly?
For example, when I was younger, I had expressed interest in learning the piano. My mom, eagerly, bought one piano (easily over 2K), sent me for classes (easily over a few K) and what do you know? I lost interest in it really fast. I tried picking it up again several times as I was growing up but I just lost interest in it just as fast. I tried my best to sustain it but was in vain. Needless to say, it may have easily cost up to 10K just for this flitting passion of mine.  However, I did take an extremely strong interest to dance - and which I may have become a dance instructor if the education route did not come my way.

It's What One Does with the Information and Not the Other Way Round
At this point, it seems that I may give the impression that I am a Kiasu and practical parent who is very forward-thinking. Some may even label me as controlling. Yet do you really think so? The genes and characteristics of many children are already set when they are in the womb and during contraception. YES, it is THAT EARLY. You cannot control the characteristics or genes of your child at all. Many parents will not want to stress their kids and would like them to explore their own strengths and weaknesses. However, I strongly believe that is what one does with the information and not let the information control you.

Overkill will always destroy any motivation - be it in children or in teens. If you focus too much on one thing, e.g. for example on academics after you know that your child has a flair for studying, and refuse to focus on any others - it is highly unlikely that your child will stay motivated to be brilliant in academics. So it is always good to provide a holistic education but you can choose to focus slightly more on the strengths that you have identified for your child.

For me, this idea will not be far behind. If you are interested, you can also look at the following centers to find out more:

• Magic Fiddler
• Agape School of Education
• Crest Learning Centre
• Preschool for Multiple Intelligences

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