Now that a new schoolyear has started, I am looking forward to seeing my children yearn and thirst after knowledge as they always do each school year. But, as each year passes, especially for my younger children, I notice that there is less and less emphasis on the visual arts–the type that requires some imagination, creativity, and a little messiness. It especially concerns me when I see my son more drawn to a handheld computer game than a pencil and pad to draw or paint on. That one-on-one time with an electronic system leaves him a little disconnected and withdrawn sometimes….And that worries me! So, I guess it is true that progress does come with a downside.
Of course, it just makes parenting a little bit more interesting and creative. Those electronic overload times offer me an opportunity to step up and meet my son’s educational/artistic needs– and all of my children’s needs– in a different way. These different approaches encourage me to offer him a few moments to unleash that pent up creativity to find out how much it connects him to the world around him, to actively pursue his passions, and to further empower him to take control of his educational outcome.
See, all of that can be done with a few few strokes of a paintbrush, an afternoon stringing beads, and an evening seated outside with a pencil and notebook to draw the shape of the leaves, the trees, the clouds, the moon, and the many stars. Those are all things that we can do to reconnect our children to the world around them–it’s a connection worth saving and nurturing. Today is the day to restore and nurture those connections.