Living the Gift out Loud: How to Successfully Spot and Nurture Your Child’s Unique Talent

By Mabble Munyimani

Mabble asks the defining question, Are you a parent raising a high achiever? If your answer is yes, this book is for you.
Mabble offers insights into what to look out for in a child. There are traits, strengths, positive qualities, and “quirkiness” that can often be overlooked, undervalued, unappreciated and misunderstood whilst parenting in a busy modern world. This can sometimes lead to the child being mislabelled.
The high-achiever child demands so much more from the world around them and from themselves. Parental support, guidance and a strong mindset are key elements for the gift to transition from its potential state. Mabble teaches on how to grow and develop as the nurturer.
Mabble takes her reader through her own journey, from discovering she had high-achievers and draws key learning points from her own upbringing, sharing intimate stories in a humorous and heartfelt manner. She communicates the indispensable principles a parent must inaugurate and impart to their child so they achieve their own self-identity and confidence.
Mabble is now on the other side, her children are confidently developing their athletic talents.
This book remains valid and applicable to all other gifts and empowers any parent in pursuit of raising a confident child who is unapologetic about their strengths and talents.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press UK
• Release date: Mar 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781982283247

Mabble Munyimani

Mabble is a mum to 3 boys and wife to loving husband, Martin. They are a family who share a passion for sport, travel, and family time. She is a passionate writer and teacher, with an interest in the science of strengths and parenting. She is also an avid reader, an enjoys reading autobiographies and personal development books. Mabble loves baking and making sweet treats. Her method of determining a good restaurant is by their dessert menu. Mabble now lives her purpose and passion as a Strength & Productivity Expert, Parent Coach and speaker. She serves families and provides the support parents need to raise confident human beings who know and value their unique genius and how to leverage it.

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 Mabble Munyimani.

Cover photo by Peter Mundy

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without the written permission of the author except in the case of

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The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the

use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical

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ISBN: 978-1-9822-8323-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-8324-7 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 03/22/2021

To my husband Martin, you have taught me to believe, to be

brave and to walk the path less travelled. You have given me

confidence to be the woman I am today. You have encouraged

and supported me, even when this book was just an idea. You

are my rock when I am clouded with doubt and confusion.

You continue to inspire me with your kind heart and loving

spirit. Most of all, because of your fearless heart and your

ability to dream, dare and challenge the status quo, our

family soars. For that I thank you.

To my three boys, Jesse, Joe and Mukundi, you are my three

kings. You have taught me so much, to love unconditionally

and to be selfless. Even with my flaws, you still love me.

Because of you, I write this book. You have taught me

to embrace my gift, walk in faith and to live beyond what

I can see with my eyes. You have taught me to rise

above my limitations, look past my fears

and go boldly for what I believe in.

Jesse, with your fearlessness, you are always ready to face

the world. You do not wait for permission from anyone; you

have

taught me that I do not need permission to be who I

am created to be, I can achieve all my dreams.

Joe, your passionate and considerate heart has

taught me to be loving, forgiving and to be kind.

Martin Jnr, with your tenacity, you have taught me to

never to give up, no matter how hard things get.

I love you boys, every day and always.

DEDICATION

I dedicated this book to my adoring father, Enoch Washington Kawome, born 1 December 1948 and died 24 April 2020. Loved by wife and 4 children. A perfect story of rags to riches, he lived a full life. Dreamer, Entrepreneur, husband, father, granddad. Loved forever.

Always, Mukunda mukuru.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My mum, Viola Kawome, is my perfect example of steadfastness and pure love-than you, because of you, I am.

My siblings, my brothers, Ted and Trevor Kawome, you guys are my rocks. Teazel Kawome, my beautiful sister, my sounding board, and the most kind-hearted person I know.

My husband Martin, you give me the confidence to be who I am meant to be. No playing small when I am around you.

Coach Lois Plowman & Coach Toni Vermaak for your work, love and dedication to the boys and our family.

The families that I have mentioned in the book, who have helped to share my message. I respect that every parent is working with the best of intention, with the best information they have at that time.

TLC Business Solutions and all the members, notably Ruth Pasi, Liz Kachembere, Etina Mlambo, Judy Mari for supporting the birth of this book.

My editors- Daisy Maringa, it such a beautiful experience to work with you. Amber Hatch, thank you for the vote confidence to author this book.

Peter Mundy (Photographer) for capturing the moment in my son’s win.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1     Gift Defined

Chapter 2     The Intelligence Myth

Chapter 3     Which Smart Is Your Child?

Chapter 4     Are You Fighting Your Child’s Gift?

Chapter 5     What Is My Child’s Gift?

Chapter 6     Nurture The Nature

Chapter 7     Who Is Making The Decision, You Or Your Beliefs?

Chapter 8     The Art Of Nurturing The Gift

Chapter 9     Tools Vs Strategy

Chapter 10   Commit To Staying Committed

Chapter 11   Creating Fun Rituals

Chapter 12   Become The Student And The Master In The Industry Of Your Child’s Gift

Chapter 13   Advocate And Cheerlead

Chapter 14   Creating The Dream Team

Chapter 15   Navigating The Lows

Chapter 16   What About The Haters?

Chapter 17   Create The Vision

About the Author

Australian%20Grass%20Court%20Champs%202018_3217.jpg

INTRODUCTION

In late April of 2018, my son Jesse made it into The National Championship final in Adelaide Australia. My husband Martin travelled to Adelaide with him to participate in one of the four yearly junior national tournaments. I couldn’t make the trip; I was eight months pregnant with my third son who was due early May. We asked his coach to travel with them, to coach and support him during the tournament. There was a delay the morning of the finals because of rain and wind. The match was supposed to start at 9am, so Martin called to inform me of the situation. Jesse’s younger brother Joe stayed at home with me. We waited patiently for the rain to stop so the game would start.

Finally, the game started, Jesse was playing his first final at 11 years old. But the match didn’t go like we anticipated.

He was down in the first set, and it moved quickly. At home we were tracking the scores on Tennis Ticker app. He didn’t move from the two games he got, he was 2-4 down and he lost the first set 2-6. Second set started, he played the same way, was down 2-4. The match was moving too quickly, but not in the way we wanted! I called Martin so he could explain to me what was going on.

Then there was a turn around. He started moving up, 3-4, then 4-4, then 5-4, then 6-4. Yes! Yes! He received the second set, now onto the third set. Again, he started slow but took it to a tie break. Was down when it started but he eventually won 10-8. It was nerve wrecking all the way, hard for us back home watching the live score, but my husband was taking in each moment.

We were so happy that he won, it was such a relief. All the work we had put in, how much Jesse had trained, worked, believed and fought for this tournament and final match. We went over it all with my husband on the phone. As I hung up and said goodbye, I celebrated. At that point I realised the real work had just begun. I realised quickly we had accomplished this milestone; the next level would require more from all us as a family, and I had to get ready.

Raising my boys and nurturing their gifts has made me extremely sensitive to various gifts in children. Through observation I can quickly pick up a child’s prevalent gift. When I come across a child gifted in a specific area, it excites me just thinking of all the possibilities and what they can achieve.

Living The Gift Out Loud is a manual, a guide to the parent who acknowledges that their child is different. It is a book for the parent who is curious about natural gifts/intuitive strengths and talents in children, like I am. A parent who is willing to explore and develop an awareness and understanding of how high achievers are identified and nurtured. The book focuses on what a gift is, how to identify your child’s gift, and lastly how to master the art of nurturing this strength into a talent.

Why me?

When I started this journey with my sons, it was very challenging in different ways. Firstly, we had limited knowledge of what we were doing. At most, it was intuitive, which I soon realised as the number one guide when identifying and nurturing your child’s gift. However, when knowledge is limited, we stagger, second guess ourselves, hesitate and this slows down progress. Quite often people miss out on opportunities because of ignorance or lack of preparation when doors open. Knowledge is power. I write this book to equip and empower the reader. You are going to be equipped with the knowledge of what gifts are, how to identify and nurture them. This book elaborates on gifts and unravels the ‘intelligence myth’. By the end of the last chapter, having completed the exercises, you will be ready and confident enough to raise your high achiever.

As we journeyed nurturing our boys, our second challenge was acquiring resources, information and a platform for the boys to fully explore their gifts. Besides not knowing what to look for, we often faced roadblocks, people who did not believe in what we were seeing in our boys. We came across comments like, There is no way they are hitting 20 balls in rally when they are only 6, or they cannot play full court tennis, they are not old enough. They did not believe the things we were saying about our boys, they hit the milestone so early that we could not find a system or curriculum that could accommodate their skill level. I write to empower such a parent. A parent who knows, believes and can see that there is something different about their child and is struggling to find where their child fits in. I am here to say to you, NO, YOU ARE NOT CRAZY!!

My highest mission and calling is celebrating all gifts and talents. There is no one intelligent, and this book highlights that. My husband and I were born and raised in Zimbabwe and our culture framed our beliefs when it came to understanding and appreciating gifts in children. Academics are highly celebrated in the culture we come from, and often it is at the detriment of all other strengths and gifts.

My husband and I are victims of this, and I have met many people whose natural gifts have never been celebrated. I moved to and lived in the United Kingdom for over a decade, this is where I met my husband and had our first two boys. From that exposure, I recognised that we were not the only ones who had something to say about gifts, it is a challenge across many other cultures as well. I feel there is need for change. We need to celebrate the gifts in our children and to do everything we can to help them develop their gifts and reach their full potential. There are too many adults living an unfulfilled life, their potential was never realised or promoted. Their natural gift/strength was never identified or nurtured. I believe that this book will give parents the confidence to begin to appreciate the gifts in their child/children, respect it, value it and nurture it. Potential simply means something that is there but has not yet been released. It is stored up power, but not tapped into yet, it’s what your child could be but hasn’t achieved yet. Your child can only reach greater levels with your support.

Parenting for me is about preparing my child for the world. And I take it very seriously. Whilst I know parenting means different things for different people, I