Scott Kirk: Posted on Friday, February 14, 2014 8:50 AM

There's nothing much greater than finding your niche.  

Have you found your "sweet spot"?  Your purpose? ... The place you "belong"?

Your "sweet spot" is a great place to discover!

I think the only thing that is more rewarding than finding your own “sweet spot” is helping your children discover theirs.

When my daughter Kelsey was three years old we enrolled her in preschool.  We were excited for her to have an amazing experience in preschool.

We quickly discovered though that preschool was not her "sweet spot".

The main reason that we enrolled Kelsey in preschool was so that she would have a chance to interact with peers. In our minds, preschool wasn't so much for the academics as much as it was for the social side of things.

Kelsey's older sister had loved preschool.  She loved being with her friends.  She loved playing on the playground. She loved learning.  

Kelsey didn't love preschool ... at all.

Three days a week we brought Kelsey to preschool, signed her in, walked her out to the playground to be with her friends and then … she would just stand there.

Two years earlier, Kelsey’s older sister, Kaitlyn, had given us a quick hug and ran off to play with her friends ... but Kelsey … she just stood there.

Obviously, our three year old was not ready for preschool.

After a few weeks of this tortuous preschool experience, we pulled Kelsey from preschool.  As parents, we wanted more than anything else for Kelsey to find her “sweet spot”.

So … after a couple more weeks of talking with Kelsey, discussing with other parents, and searching for Kelsey’s next step - we signed her up for a “Mommy-and-Me” gymnastics class.

We knew almost immediately, that this was a great discovery.  Kelsey LOVED her gymnastics experience.  Kelsey LOVED her time with her mom.  Kelsey LOVED not being in preschool!

A year later we enrolled Kelsey for a second time in preschool and this time she was ready.  She found that she actually liked preschool … but she had found her LOVE in gymnastics.

Ten years later our daughter is now a freshman in high school and she is thriving both academically and socially.  But she still loves gymnastics.

Gymnastics is her “sweet spot” …  It’s her fit.  She has played other sports throughout the years and been a part of other extra-curricular activities, but her “sweet spot” is gymnastics.

Through gymnastics she has learned discipline, perseverance, courage, the power of teamwork, and the tenacity to succeed as an individual also.

Although my wife and I felt like failures as parents those first few weeks that Kelsey was in preschool, I am so thankful that this experience helped Kelsey to find her “sweet spot”.  I am thankful that she didn’t have to look long to find something that she loved.  I am thankful that in her “niche” Kelsey has excelled and moved toward the young lady she is becoming. 

How are you helping your children find their “sweet spot”?  Our search was almost accidental.

How about you … have you found your “sweet spot”?