What Is Your Young Person Excited About?

What Is Your Young Person Excited About?

We'd love them to become a lawyer, a surgeon, or a scientist — but they just want to draw and paint.

I was inspired to write What's MY Skill? after watching the TV series Adolescence. It stayed with me. Young people need to be seen and valued — and their skills might not match the life journey we've imagined for them, but that doesn't make those skills any less worthy of encouragement.

What's MY Skill? is a story that gets people thinking about what they're genuinely good at and what lights them up. And it's not just for kids — grown-ups reading along might find themselves thinking about a skill they wanted to pursue when they were young, something they were discouraged from, or something that simply never got the chance to bloom. Sharing that kind of reflection with a child can help them feel less alone, and more confident to follow what they love.

At the back of the book I include some prompts to explore together:

• When you lose track of time because you're so absorbed in something, what are you usually doing?

• What makes you feel most like yourself — most authentic and alive?

• When has following your own interests led somewhere unexpected or wonderful?

You can find What's MY Skill? on Amazon — a gentle read for any family raising a child who doesn't quite fit the mould.