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Preface: A Book for All Parents Nurturing Children’s Talents: A Guide for Parents is a book for all parents. That’s because talent is made, not born, and parents are in prime position to help children find and cultivate talents. This is true for parents at varying eco- nomic and experiential levels. Talent is not restricted to those living in the glow of Manhattan’s Upper West Side. You’ll see in these pages that chess talent can erupt and flourish in poverty-stricken Franklin County, Missis- sippi, or that basketball talent can take shape on a ramshackle court in an Omaha housing project. You’ll also see that musical talent can flourish in homes with already assembled musical nests but also in homes where par- ents and siblings have no musical background. And you’ll see that writing talent can blossom at age four, while photography talent might not come into focus until adolescence. That’s why talent-nurturing advice applies to new and experienced parents alike. In essence, talent can blossom anywhere when parents or other caregivers recognize that children can accomplish amazing things and lend a hand. In addition, you’ll see that talent development is not restricted to popular domains such as music and football but transcends many niche domains such as chess, baton twirling, and spelling. Nurturing Children’s Talents covers a wide array of talent domains including academic talent, and all families seek academic success. Finally, you’ll see that talent development need not culmi- nate in gold medals or Academy Awards to be fruitful. Talent is not an end product but a process, a continuum along which all children can move. Thus, all parents are positioned to help children grow talents whether the outcome is Carnegie Hall or community band. In the end, it is the pursuit of talent that parents and children find most gratifying. Children emerge from the talent path with greater confidence, resiliency, and self-regulation skills. And chil- dren and parents enjoy the talent ride and develop a close relationship. Parents meanwhile probably don’t realize when their child is on a talent path or, when they do, are uncertain about how to best help their child.