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.

                             

                             

Warning: Never Multi-Task in Front of the Children!

Children learn by example. They watch our every move and listen to every word (especially when we think they aren’t!). So we, as parents, need to examine our own behavior and attitudes.

I saw last week on a news program that today’s teenagers are masters of multi-tasking. They engage in multiple text conversations and listen to music and play video games and work on homework. All at the same time! Many teens say they can’t even do homework without these other activities going on.

I’m shocked…and scared for our kids. As a young mother of five, I prided myself on being able to accomplish multiple tasks. Heck, I could make dinner while bouncing a baby in my backpack, quizzing one kid on multiplication facts, and participating in a spirited game of    I Spy with the other three! Did I feel good about being with my kids and getting dinner on the table? You betcha! But did I do my best at any of those tasks mentioned? No way. And that made me feel a little frustrated at the end of the day.

Take that situation and multiply by 100 to get a glimpse of what our teens (and even younger kids) are experiencing. Imagine not ever really concentrating on the thing at hand. Always keeping ears perked for that magic little tone with a message that indicates something is going on somewhere else that’s probably better than what you’re doing. Never experiencing that feeling of putting all of one’s self into an effort, a project, a conversation or … a prayer.  

I think I can rein myself in when it comes to preoccupation with gadgets, but I want my kids to understand this, too. So, I have made a decision. I will keep cell phones in a basket by the door when my kids come home for the evening. Sure, they can check once or twice to see if any emergency requires a response, but the rest can wait until the next day.

I’d like them to be present during our time together. How much more valued will our loved ones feel if we give them all of our attention when we’re with them? How much better will grades become when the work in front of a student is the main thing on his mind? And how much more interesting would conversations be if they consisted of more than abbreviated answers in the form of text messages?

None of this can happen with my kids unless I also embrace the motto: NO MORE MULTI-TASKING! I will turn off that cell phone and put down that i-pad when my family is around. I hope to set an example by being totally present in my interactions with loved ones, friends, neighbors, and most importantly, God…. Join me?