| Parents Newsletter |
Hey Mom or Dad!
The subject today is creativity and how important that is in your kids well being.
Look at a kids point of view; most of their life is full of structure. They go to school, they do their chores, they do
their homework and they tend to create habits of doing the same time killing activities of video games or
television. Structure does have a valid place in a kids life as it does keep them working towards something.
Kids are even happier with constructive structure in their lives.
There can sometimes be a down side to this structure though that you need to be aware of. If this structure is
so demanding that they never have time to be creative; which is an innate requirement for kids, then the
structure can feel like restriction. And we all know that if a kid has too much restriction, that that will eventually
transform to rebellion.
Being forced to take piano lessons for the fulfilment of the parent would be one form of restrictive structure.
Being forced to play sports by the side line shouting parent is truly more destructive than helpful.
Your kid will show you interests that they have, which may not be anything that you have never been interested
in. This new interest could range from anything to building card houses to wanting to paint the house, to
cooking or who knows? A kids developing interest in something is his natural desire to explore and learn.
This is a process that needs to have a certain degree of freedom as they explore this new area. Pure creativity
is done in pure freedom.
Too much structure in a kids life such as "walking the line" can cause a lot of damage to a kid because they
began to shut down the natural forces that create a sense of well being. Structure with a sense of freedom is
of course the ideal situation to provide your kids with. Sometimes to honer that sense of freedom is to provide
enough time to your kids to just be kids. Remember it is the "times of society" that have taught us that we
need to line up as wildebeests crossing a river in all dressing the same way, in" winning the race", sacrifice
now, for pleasure later ... Pleasure that may or may not come. A kid has to be taught how to be happy NOW, so
that when "later" comes, they know how to be happy.
Unfortunately most of us adults and parents were not taught that is was the journey of the race that was most
important. The end of the race lasts only a moment, but the journey may last a lifetime. Encourage creativity,
encourage independence! Honor your child's right to have a state of mind that chooses to think thoughts of
well-being! - In spite of the way we may have been taught, or what society says is right. By all means give
them structure, but not at the expense of self expression!
A rose grows on a firm foundation of soil, but is not obstructed by the soil as it naturally grows towards the
light!
The subject today is creativity and how important that is in your kids well being.
Look at a kids point of view; most of their life is full of structure. They go to school, they do their chores, they do
their homework and they tend to create habits of doing the same time killing activities of video games or
television. Structure does have a valid place in a kids life as it does keep them working towards something.
Kids are even happier with constructive structure in their lives.
There can sometimes be a down side to this structure though that you need to be aware of. If this structure is
so demanding that they never have time to be creative; which is an innate requirement for kids, then the
structure can feel like restriction. And we all know that if a kid has too much restriction, that that will eventually
transform to rebellion.
Being forced to take piano lessons for the fulfilment of the parent would be one form of restrictive structure.
Being forced to play sports by the side line shouting parent is truly more destructive than helpful.
Your kid will show you interests that they have, which may not be anything that you have never been interested
in. This new interest could range from anything to building card houses to wanting to paint the house, to
cooking or who knows? A kids developing interest in something is his natural desire to explore and learn.
This is a process that needs to have a certain degree of freedom as they explore this new area. Pure creativity
is done in pure freedom.
Too much structure in a kids life such as "walking the line" can cause a lot of damage to a kid because they
began to shut down the natural forces that create a sense of well being. Structure with a sense of freedom is
of course the ideal situation to provide your kids with. Sometimes to honer that sense of freedom is to provide
enough time to your kids to just be kids. Remember it is the "times of society" that have taught us that we
need to line up as wildebeests crossing a river in all dressing the same way, in" winning the race", sacrifice
now, for pleasure later ... Pleasure that may or may not come. A kid has to be taught how to be happy NOW, so
that when "later" comes, they know how to be happy.
Unfortunately most of us adults and parents were not taught that is was the journey of the race that was most
important. The end of the race lasts only a moment, but the journey may last a lifetime. Encourage creativity,
encourage independence! Honor your child's right to have a state of mind that chooses to think thoughts of
well-being! - In spite of the way we may have been taught, or what society says is right. By all means give
them structure, but not at the expense of self expression!
A rose grows on a firm foundation of soil, but is not obstructed by the soil as it naturally grows towards the
light!
| CREATIVITY |
Copyright Tony Hanes, 2007
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