Ep. 81: Creating Genius

<p><a href="https://talkingtoteens.com/creating-genius/">Click for full show notes, exercises, and parenting scripts from this episode</a></p><p><br>If your daughter was a brilliant pianist—as good as Mozart, say—wouldn’t you want her to encourage her in pursuit of her talent and passion? Of course! You’d pay for lessons, organize recitals, and help her blossom into the artist she was born to be. Imagine if instead you decided for her that music wasn’t what she was supposed to be doing, and she better leave performing and composing to the male sex. It would be heartbreaking for her and a waste of talent and skill! Still, this is exactly what happened to Nannerle Mozart, who was, a musical prodigy by age 15, told to go home to be married in her teenage years instead of following in her brother’s footsteps.</p><p>Fortunately, something like this would probably not happen in the 21st Century. However, the sad truth is there are still innumerable obstacles facing women of all ages, from toddlers to teens, that are almost too subliminal to notice. The stigmatized expectations of women are internalized by girls at a very tender age, and without the proper guidance from parents, these perceptions can seriously hurt girls’ self esteem! They might even give up on their dreams and settle for whatever they’re told is “right” for them.</p><p>There are very few geniuses in the world, but the fact that so few women geniuses are recognized points to a deep-seated bias against women at large. To better understand some of these harmful stereotypes and discover what parents can do to debunk them and support their daughters, I spoke with Janice Kaplan, author and co-author of fourteen different books, including <a href="https://amzn.to/2XIdjKT"><em>The Genius of Women: From Overlooked to Changing the World</em></a>. In this book, Kaplan dissects what it means to be a “genius” and why it is that women are often overlooked in the running. Her takeaways are a great starting place for any parent looking to raise confident, ena