Child prodigies

Over breakfast yesterday, i had the good fortune to speak to a friend who has a 10 year old son. Just like most ten year olds, he goes to school, plays with his friends, enjoys cartoons and reads comics. A bit naughty, he's a star student in school and everyone who knows hims finds him likeable. Nothing too out-of-the-ordinary about him - except that he can beat adults 4 times his age who have played the game for more years than he has been alive at the sport of golf.

Even for a 10 year old, he can drive booming shots over 150 yards in a straight line, he knows what a "sandwhich" is, and can sink 30 yard putts without hardly breaking a sweat. This weekend, he's taking part in an all-adults (except for him of course) golf tournament, and he's expected to take more than his share of scalps.

A child prodigy in the making? A Malaysian Tiger Woods? Or just one in the long list of might-have-beens? Its the nature of the world of child sporting superstars that we only hear about the successes and hardly a whimper for the thousands who never make the final grade.

But at what cost do so many children try? Or is it even the children's ambitions that are being fulfilled or the ambitions of their parents? When websites like this exist, it tells us that the competition is hardly restricted to the children; parents of "prodigies" are hugely competitive people themselves. Whether or not this is to the detriment to the child, its debatable: children need guidance and encouragement to fulfill their talent and potential; who better to provide it than their parents?

My friend's son has been playing golf since he was 8. Spending hours each week whacking golf balls down the range, spending just as much time learning golf theory and etiquette in classrooms, and spending a small fortune of custom made golf gear to fit the small frame of a child. What is truly interesting is not that this child's life is like this, but that he's just one of many. Dozens of children are expending thousands of collective hours of their childhood trying to be the next Tiger. And this is just golf. What about those who aspire to be the next Misbun Sidek, or the next Mozart or the next John Nash? Children everywhere are being pushed to reach incredible limits; physical, emotional and psychological limits.

Are they sacrificing their childhood in search of their (and their parents') dreams? Or is this part of what being a child means - setting the base and foundation of your future. If you have a talent inclination for golf, why not pursue it and see how far you can go? If you wait until you're older to start, chances are it'll be too late.