Thursday, November 1, 2012

Can Kids Still Create?


A common theme is emerging in my blog entries. I’m worried about our kids. Specifically, I’m worried about how America's kids will grow up in a healthy manner amidst all the technology.
 
Why does technology exist? To make tasks easier, faster, and more efficient. To provide short cuts in our work so we are free to engage in leisure activities involving yet more technology??
Where, in this world of quick answers, immediate communication, and constant mental stimulation does the creative process live? Will we have a society full of people who don’t know the joy of creating? In generations past, creativity was a necessary part of life. Folks sewed, built, cooked, made music. And what about the crafting of a good old-fashioned letter? I wonder if our kids today are able to slow down long enough to put their thoughts together. Then, with proper grammar and without the help of Wikipedia, can they put pen to paper and create something they are proud of?
Like I said, I’m worried.
I’m thinking of my future grandchildren. The image in my mind doesn't involve little golden haired cherubs staring intently at computer screens. (I’ve seen two year olds navigate the buttons and icons on an iPad with scary proficiency!) Rather, I hope to see my progeny in environments which allow them to think and create. In art rooms, workshops, kitchens, gardens. The possibilities are endless. The creative process can thrive alongside all the technology. After all, our kids must live in a high tech world and will surely benefit from the many advances. The challenge for parents is to make time and provide materials and opportunities for kids to create.
I know the joy of creating something. It is the feeling I wish for all of our children. It is the feeling of using what God put inside each of us: patience, energy, ideas, and love. The finished product does not have to be amazing, but I guarantee the process will be.
                             



                             

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting. I agree with your worries about technology and loosing the joy of creating. We work hard to keep a balance in our house, but it's not always easy. My 4 year old son knows how to use my iphone better than I do!
    Kelly at Little Wonders' Days

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  2. It is all about process with young children! My kids use the computer even less than I did at their age, and this is why. I want them to understand technology, but - growing up in the current generation - they will. And so I feel that one of the greatest gifts I can give them is to understand how to live without technology!

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  3. This sounds like something my mom would have written. Guess that's why my sister and I have film company and hope to keep creating as long as we can!

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