Creativity leads to family enrichment
CREATIVE ENRICHMENT FOR FAMILIES
I found much enrichment in reading stories to my daughter every night until she was twelve. To this day we share those rich experiences. Many years ago we sat on the sofa and I drew pictures for my daughter. She told me what she wanted the figure to look like and I, to the best of my ability, drew that figure. It was just a fun game at the time, but it was that kind of creative play that honed my daughter’s creative talents in the future and brought us closer together as two who had creatively interacted. But what I’ve learned is that giving your kids personal time is better than prioritizing any video game they might play, better than any late report you might have to make, better than huddled around the TV, better than just about anything. And here’s why…
When you interact with your children through reading, writing, painting, drawing, etc. you are joining them. Personal dialogues, day by day, father/son: “… He took my ball, he called me a rat, do your homework, don’t mess up the kitchen, feed the dog, wipe your feet”…. .. it’s just not part of the interactive creative dialogue. Father and son are on the same level. They all share creative moments: their children enjoy listening to them read to them, they enjoy drawing pictures with them and telling stories about the drawings, they all have fun writing about the day they welcomed their cute kitty, who has now grown into a huge pompous family cat. .
FORGET THE PARENT/SON DIALOGUE
You are away from the petty mess of parents scolding children and children reacting negatively. Reading, writing, and doing art projects together puts everyone on the same page. If you keep the same level of play with all the participants and forget about the father and son roles that you normally play, you will have fun!
Okay, but there’s still soccer, football, ballet, and when in the world can you find time for creative play? Take time for creative interaction. Yes, it’s important that your child’s team win the next game and you should be there to cheer them on. But spending a small amount of time, even twenty minutes, reading, writing, and drawing together will help you win his heart as a trustworthy, loving parent who is willing to get to know him on his level and share a creative process with him.
THE MESSAGE IS THE MENTAL MASSAGE
Life keeps running, children grow up fast. Taking those twenty minutes once or twice a week will change the texture of their lives. Yes, it will be hard to keep them away from their gaming and texting friends. But soon his message will be clear: “I just want to spend some time with you.” No lecturing, no scolding, no insults, just time spent together on a little project to find out what you’re both made of without the roles of father and son to play. One night, try this. Turn off the TV. Turn off video games. Sit down with the children and make up a story. A small and simple story. And then everyone draws it. Pass around the drawings and talk about the drawing, no criticism, no belittling, just talk.
OK, everyone is yawning, I know. But that will happen if you repeat it next week and the next. You’re going to start having a good time. It can be a bit scary at first. It’s not a video game or TV. It’s just you and the kids. Don’t worry. Soon, you will discover some things about yourself, familiar things that soccer and ballet can’t solve. Like who you are as interrelated human beings, what do you think of each other, and how, without competition or bad language from anyone, you can look at each other and admire each other for who you are.
THAT PLEASANT CREATIVE FEELING
Do you remember how you wanted to paint an oil painting? Do you remember the drawing class you took at community college and love it? Remember the creative things you’ve done, like finding the right knobs for your kitchen cabinets, installing low-voltage lighting around your driveway to dramatically light up the trees and shrubs, or making that ridiculous birthday card for your child, because it just could not. Didn’t find one that was correct? You got a warm glow from those projects, didn’t you? Good.
CREATIVE TIME FOR YOURSELF
Take some creative time for yourself. Okay, currently your private time is between 10:30 and 11:00 at night, when you can read a few pages of that novel you’ve redone three times at the local library and then crash. Take advantage of YOUR OWN twenty creative minutes once or twice a week. Decide what you will do during those twenty minutes. Draw, paint, write? Connect to your creative mind, not for the boss, but for yourself. Remember favorite places and images from childhood. Write or draw on them. Enhance your life with color through pastels or acrylic or oil paints. Discover the magic of media and artistic skills. Sit down with a sketch pad and draw your house plants. Make a cake from a photo of your neighbor at your last New Year’s Eve party (it was sooo fun, wasn’t it?)
It will take a month or so. After these creative times, you will feel the ripple effect. It’s a good feeling caused by instructing your conscious and subconscious to be creative and delve into the parts of your brain that give you a healthy and well-balanced sense of being (wisdom even!). Then increase those minutes. Try twenty to thirty minutes a day. The ripple effect will be more like a positive tide of good feelings, tapping into powers of your mind that have been dormant for far too long.
personal improvement, creativity, family enrichment
