Apr 9, 2009

Is Creativity A Gift or A Barrier?

Could life be topsy turvy for a child trying to be too creative? Sometimes I have been made to wonder if the other way of looking at things could make your brain go haywire.
Nowadays, parents prefer stimulating their little ones right from the time they inhabit their mother's womb. Research shows that stimulation does help in increasing the number of networks created in the brain thus leading to multiple intelligences depicted in a child.
No wonder that children are becoming smarter with every generation. Not only that, innovation has become the need of the hour for every profession. Thus parents are trying to find means and ways to give children as much exposure as they can from childhood. That is how the Baby Einstein cds are going off the shelves.
What could be the consequences of all this? Are we trying to go against nature? Could there be a negative outcome to this? Would you fail from being a normal well-functioning humanbeing if you started seeing everything differently? Could you mature faster than your age leading to other problems in the future? Could it be difficult for a child to cope up with his/her peer group at school? Could your child be subjected to ridicule or to the contrary have too much of expectation to live up to? Could your child be made to feel different? Could he/she become a loner/a snob? Could your child's teacher penalize your child for trying to think more than is required not following the codes acceptable in the traditional education system?
It is worth pondering on all this and find your best possible solution for parenting your own kid. So, what if your child looks at the creases on your bedsheet and spots mountains and valleys. So what if your child watches her own little TV screen, 'the cushion' while Mom watches her own favourite soap on TV! (Yes, its my friend's daughter's story). Isn't that what creativity is all about? Should that natural urge be curbed? Life would be so boring if we just saw things the way they are. Finding meaning in things in day-to-day life is what makes life so precious, so meaningful.
So, what-the-heck! Let them be their own selves and enjoy their creative power as long as it lasts! Gulp all your fears and fearful thoughts with a sip of kopi-tarik.
The other day my daughter was sailing in her boats of fancy. She was singing 'Row row row the boat' when she dropped two cushions on the floor while I watched with intrigue what she was up to.
She enjoyed her boat ride while I enjoyed watching her easily transcend into the world of her imagination from reality.

Do I smile when I watch the video. I must admit, "yes, I do".
So, is creativity a gift or a barrier? Do share your thoughts.

5 comments:

Sasha Tan said...

heheheh she gotto tell ya that she fell down.

Klay Kisses said...

The way I look at it is I did not have all the things kids have these days. I turned out fine. I feel I am very creative. I think you are born with it. It is the gift from God that matter, not from the stores. Did you ever send your child outside with nothing to play with? My children are ranged in age from 8 to 21. The teenagers cannot find anything to do outside without a cell phone/i-pod etc. They are lost out there. When I was there age, (now I sound like my parents) I did not want to come in the house, ever! Not that it was bad in there but there was such a big world outside to discover and I wanted to see and do all I could. I did not have any fancy toys at all. I loved life and would go on adventures with all the neighborhood children. We would play for hours with a tin can and a stick and it was wonderful. Did not matter if it fell in the water, got dropped, etc. It still always worked. Parents need to give their children less toys and more world. That is just my opinion. Love your blog! Keep up the good work!

Yaggya said...

@Sasha, Yes, i found it amusing that she had to let me know even when she fell down.

@Klay Kisses, Very true. These days children have too many manmade gadgets and toys to be able to leave them aside and discover the world outside. We as parents need to constantly try and motivate them to discover the wonders of the unknown.
Even a squirrel passing by can make you think where it was going, and why was he in so much of a hurry. That's when your mind starts racing. Thanks for ur views.

zara's mama said...

Kids are getting smarter.. and parents have to keep up with it..

So I guess overall, the human race is smarter and more creative.. but that doesn't mean we do things correctly though.

MeRy said...

Noawadays kids are pretty smart, they will come out with lot of creative ideas.