Born this way...
I consider myself a thinker, and have had the good fortune to hear such from outside sources. I remember as a child being reprimanded by teachers for being a "daydreamer". So sorry that my imagination is much more exciting than learning how to divide fractions.
Yes, I know math is important, but I believe that letting the mind wander (at least once daily) is equally beneficial. I speculate that society's most brilliant minds - both past and present - were daydreamers. I can visualize these folks as kids... The architect who played with Legos and built castles for kings and fair maidens ... The teacher who sat all her dolls and stuffed bunnies in a line to sing the alphabet song ... The writer who lost herself in books; a new adventure every night. My kids are dreamers, too.
Sixyearoldboy (who will be Sevenyearoldboy next week) has a passion for food. He loves the tastes and smells of the herbs I have growing on the patio. He'll choose to watch Food Network over Nickelodeon most days of the week. He's also decided he wants to go to "food college" when he grows up, and I think that's awesome. Chef by day, Batman at night. If that's what he feels in his heart, then so be it. Who knows, next week he may want to be an astronaut.
Tenyearoldbrother has recently become enamored with the creative process of animation. Very cool, indeed. And, as good as he is on the computer, I can certainly see him in that field of work later on... it's just in his nature to take that path.
As for Tweenygirl, she's a born leader. I'm not sure what she'll do with her life, but I know whatever it is, she'll dive in head-first with gusto! She has such a strong personality, I know she'll go far.
My point is thus ... I didn't mold my children this way... I didn't force them to like or dislike. Yes, I've nurtured the passions a little; I let them help me cook, we create art together pertaining to a particular interest or buy books on the subject, etc. etc. etc.
I have a story for you... It's an old Spanish fable from a fourteenth century text called "The Book of Good Love", and I'll be paraphrasing the ancient tale ... the Mediaeval Baebes have done an excellent job putting it to song... It is called "The Snake".
A farmer was walking through his pear orchard in January and came upon a snake, who was dying from the cold and icy conditions. The man, feeling sorry for the snake, took it home to nurse it back to health. Soon, the snake was feeling better, and found a resting spot beneath the farmhouse, where throughout the winter the farmer fed the serpent until it grew very large. The snake became so large that the man grew scared of it, and stopped providing food. This made the snake very angry, and it came back into the house looking for something to eat. The farmer, more frightened than ever, yelled at the snake to "Get out"! But, the snake became more enraged and wrapped himself around the man, strangling him to death.
A bit of a gruesome parallel to my earlier thoughts, I know... but it's the moral here that I'm most interested in... No matter what we do, we cannot change the nature of a being. I could send my kids to school to be a doctor or lawyer, but would they be happy? Probably not.
What is your nature, oh best beloved?
Yes, I know math is important, but I believe that letting the mind wander (at least once daily) is equally beneficial. I speculate that society's most brilliant minds - both past and present - were daydreamers. I can visualize these folks as kids... The architect who played with Legos and built castles for kings and fair maidens ... The teacher who sat all her dolls and stuffed bunnies in a line to sing the alphabet song ... The writer who lost herself in books; a new adventure every night. My kids are dreamers, too.
Sixyearoldboy (who will be Sevenyearoldboy next week) has a passion for food. He loves the tastes and smells of the herbs I have growing on the patio. He'll choose to watch Food Network over Nickelodeon most days of the week. He's also decided he wants to go to "food college" when he grows up, and I think that's awesome. Chef by day, Batman at night. If that's what he feels in his heart, then so be it. Who knows, next week he may want to be an astronaut.
Tenyearoldbrother has recently become enamored with the creative process of animation. Very cool, indeed. And, as good as he is on the computer, I can certainly see him in that field of work later on... it's just in his nature to take that path.
As for Tweenygirl, she's a born leader. I'm not sure what she'll do with her life, but I know whatever it is, she'll dive in head-first with gusto! She has such a strong personality, I know she'll go far.
My point is thus ... I didn't mold my children this way... I didn't force them to like or dislike. Yes, I've nurtured the passions a little; I let them help me cook, we create art together pertaining to a particular interest or buy books on the subject, etc. etc. etc.
I have a story for you... It's an old Spanish fable from a fourteenth century text called "The Book of Good Love", and I'll be paraphrasing the ancient tale ... the Mediaeval Baebes have done an excellent job putting it to song... It is called "The Snake".
A farmer was walking through his pear orchard in January and came upon a snake, who was dying from the cold and icy conditions. The man, feeling sorry for the snake, took it home to nurse it back to health. Soon, the snake was feeling better, and found a resting spot beneath the farmhouse, where throughout the winter the farmer fed the serpent until it grew very large. The snake became so large that the man grew scared of it, and stopped providing food. This made the snake very angry, and it came back into the house looking for something to eat. The farmer, more frightened than ever, yelled at the snake to "Get out"! But, the snake became more enraged and wrapped himself around the man, strangling him to death.
A bit of a gruesome parallel to my earlier thoughts, I know... but it's the moral here that I'm most interested in... No matter what we do, we cannot change the nature of a being. I could send my kids to school to be a doctor or lawyer, but would they be happy? Probably not.
What is your nature, oh best beloved?
You could say my nature is anything in the arts. Except singing. But I'm a great writer, I'm a decent dancer, I'm great at drawing (when I do it all the time), I'm a great photographer, a great interior designer, ect. I love anything mythical, mystical, and whimsical. I hated reading as a kid, but the more I did it the more it fueled my imagination. Also as a child, a lot of adults would tell me reading is good for that exact reason. Fueling the imagination. I didn't understand it at the time, but I do now.
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