How does one tell if their child might grow up to be a prodigy? It’s hard to tell as for all we know, some of us might have talents that were never nurtured, but apparently in China, parents are starting to test the DNA of their babies and hopes to discover potential talents that could turn their children into prodigies.
According to Bloomberg a father named Chris Jung, decided to test the saliva of his daughter at his company, Gene Discovery. Jung claims that he had initially hoped that she will be a doctor or lawyer. However upon testing, he found that his daughter had the potential to excel in music, math, and sport, and as such, he will pour resources into developing those talents.
According to Jung, “Originally, I would like her to become a professional like a doctor or lawyer. But once I looked into the results, it talked about how her memory is so bad. I switched my expectations because if I would like her to become a professional, she needs to study a lot and remember a lot.”
A Shanghai mum, Zhou Xiaoying paid about US$1,500 (RM6,239) to swab saliva from her son’s mouth to offer a peek into his future.
The test, which also analysed the baby’s tendency to genetic diseases, told Zhou her son was likely to be gifted in music and the arts but weak in sports. Zhou says her now 2yo son can hum a song in tune after hearing it once. She pulled the boy out of running and swimming classes and instead send him to piano lesson.
“I wanted to know about his talents in the future so that I can set a direction for him,” said the mum, “If you believe the results, then you can use it as a reference. If you don’t, that’s fine because it doesn’t hurt.”
Gene Discovery is only one of the companies which to cater to that rising demand, playing the role of modern-day fortune tellers, with DNA as their crystal ball. If you search in JD.com (Chinese online shopping platform)and you will find dozens of firms offering genetic talent testing for babies and newborns.
Their promises are similar which to help parents uncover their children’s “potential talents” in everything from logic, math to sports and even emotional intelligence. Help your child “win at the starting line” is a common marketing tagline.
That being said, it has been pointed out that by having a certain gene doesn’t necessarily guarantee your kids future. But, it is understandable that as parents, they would only want the best for their kids, even if it means shelling out anywhere between a few hundred to thousands of dollars to peek into the future of their child.