Parenting Under the Stars

Academic ability is generally valued more than art or music. Children are frequently discouraged at an early age even by their own peers.

One of my daughters is very artistic. She’s a fantastic dancer and artist. The images she draws blow my mind. I love to create things but cannot draw very well, so I really admire that skill.

Anyway, one of her friends told her she could not be an artist since they are all crazy and starving. She must have received this message from an adult and I do think it is sad.

My daughter used to talk about designing clothes and now she is asking me how much money dentists make. I know she does not want to be a dentist but she thinks that job will give her more respect.

Artistic talent should be encouraged and valued more. Just think of how drab the world would be without artists. Scientists have to be creative if they want to make any new discoveries as well.

In this video, Ken Robinson talks about education at TED and how creativity is just as important as literacy. He feels that we are educated out of our creativity because highly talented people become convinced that they are not. He shares an inspiring story about Gillian Lynne and her experience in school as a child. The teacher suggested she had a learning disorder because she would not stay still.

Her mother finally took her to a specialist who happened to have the radio on and Gillian would not stop dancing. The specialist told her mother to enroll her in a dance school and so she did. Gillian Lynne is now a director/choreographer and did Cats, Phantom of the Opera as well as several other successful productions.

He makes some very good points. I agree that had Gillian gone to see the wrong doctor about her fidgeting problem, they may have simply medicated her and told her to go chill out somewhere.

Our children’s creativity should be celebrated, embraced and encouraged.