After blankets are tucked around little ones, stories are read, questions are asked and foreheads are kissed for the final time for the night, I sit down in front of the computer screen and review our day. It’s not intentional, really. I don’t sit down and think now what is it that we did today? It happens naturally. I pour over the images and relive the scenes that played during the normal parts of our day. In a way, the images before me are triggers of the things that we did and the things that were said.
Sometimes, I look at an image and I am reminded of an interaction that, otherwise, may have been lost in the daily details of doing life with three kids. Willingly or unwilling, Chad is often the soundboard of my triggered memories as I report the days highlights. Seriously, Sports Center’s got nothing on my highlights. (Right, Chad?)
So many things happen during days spent with little ones. Many of our moments are quite typical and easily glossed over and mostly, unremarkable. But every now and again a conversation pops up that, if I’m paying attention, turns into a teachable moment–not just for them, but for me as well.
Today, Chanelle was the star of the day’s highlight.
M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I. . . Mississippi
S-T-O-P. . . Stop
M-A-M-A. . . Mama
B-E-L-L-E-F-O-N-T-A-I-N-E. . . Bellefontaine
She went on to spell another few words before saying. . . I also know how to spell creative.
I was surprised by this because the word “creative” isn’t one that we’ve really talked about a lot.
You do? I asked her.
Well, I do if we are at home, she answered.
I was curious and asked where she heard the word creative.
Miss Shelly (her piano teacher) wrote it on my paper.
Ah-ha. Now I remembered the words that her teacher had sprawled across her notebook several weeks ago. . . BE CREATIVE.
As we drove Chanelle and I talked about the word “creative” and what it really means. Her definition was simple and succinct. . . it means to do something cool.
I like her definition. As we talked I realized that, by nature, children are creative. They are born with a creative spirit that flows and soars and pours out of every aspect of their being. It’s nothing they have to drum up. . . creative is just what they are.
On a daily basis I watch Chanelle carry her horses, tigers, bunnies, unicorns, bears, puppies and kitties and interact with them for hours. Without inhibition she sees a world with her animals that I can’t see. A world that is real and beautiful and full of exciting adventures.
As Chanelle and I talked about the word that is such a natural outflow of who she is I realized that the most important ingredient of “creativity” is courage. The courage to be who you naturally are. Who they naturally are. Courage to be who I naturally am. I think, at times, I’ve allowed the walk into adulthood, college classes and what I thought were societal expectations to sap my own creativity. But watching Charlie, Chanelle and Meadow makes me long to get some of that back.
you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will
be lost.” — Martha Graham
