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a June 5th, 2013

  1. Don’t Be An Idea Killer!

    June 5, 2013 by admin

    IMG_1673We don’t run our family like a business, but that doesn’t mean we don’t occasionally take ideas from other fields and apply them to our family dynamic.  We recently read an article on how to cultivate creativity in the business place, and found that it also resonated with us as a parenting topic.

    Don’t be an idea killer.”

    It’s a simple message, and one well worth remembering.  We’ve mentioned the propensity of many parents to dictate the ‘proper’ way for their child to play or to do art.  But if one of your goals is to raise a family that thinks outside the box, that creates their own fun, that finds beauty and joy in remote places—then it is important to make sure that you aren’t quashing creative thoughts, whether by accident or by design.

    We like to encourage expansive thinking whenever possible.  We frequently do this by not answering questions.  While sometimes frustrating to our kiddoes, we find it helps their communication and thought processes to have questions lobbed back.  We find this works for all ages:

    Age 4:  “What would happen if a river was in the sky?”

    –  “What do you think would happen?”

     

    Age 10:  “What’s the most common disease in cats?”

    – “What do you think?”

     

    Giving kids time to ponder, and praising creative results instead of functionality in their projects are ideas as valuable in the living room, as the boardroom.