Day 7: The Kid in All of Us

Wish 7: Preserve Childish Creativity

By the time my eldest son was four, he had already joined two radio call-in contests and won a Super Mario video game face-off with teens.

He was born and raised in Austria, where I was working at the time. He had such an active mind. He cherished every Disney video sent to us by his uncle in California. Then he'd tell the stories to his international friends at the English preschool.

We went to Disneyworld one summer. In Orlando, Florida, he and his baby brother caught a stomach flu and could eat nothing but bread for two days. They were both tired and thin as sticks. But that couldn't hold them back and they enjoyed Disneyworld immensely.

A week later, my eldest son was back at preschool. Within the first day, we were called in by his teacher to discuss something important. She told us our son was filling the other kids' heads with silly ideas like "flying elephants". She concluded that our son was "acting childish". My wife and I thought, "Duh. He's a child."

As we grow older our childish awe and creativity are tempered by bland conformity. Nothing wrong with obeying the rules of the land, and behaving under society's norms. But too many people quash our creativity until we can't be creative anymore.

Here's a simple story that explains my point.

There was an enthusiastic child named Pat. She went to a preschool. The doors to the school opened up to the whole school room.

One day the teacher told the class that they would draw flowers. The children started chatting in excitement. Pat loved to draw flowers. So she drew a flower (see flower A).

Then the teacher told the children to be quiet. When they were all quiet, she said, "Wait while I will show you how to draw a flower." And she drew a flower (see flower B).

Then, she told the class, "Now, you may draw the flower."

Pat looked at her drawing and then at the teacher's drawing. She liked her flower better, but she didn't argue. She drew a flower just the way the teacher drew it.

The following year, Pat went to a bigger school. The doors opened to a hallway, and she had to run to the end of the hallway to get to the door of her classroom.

One day the teacher told the class that they would draw. Everyone started to draw, except Pat.

The teacher noticed and asked Pat, "Why aren't you drawing?"

Pat answered, "Because you haven't told us when to draw."

And the teacher said, "You may draw anytime you want."

Then Pat asked, "But what should I draw?"

And the teacher smiled, "You may draw anything that you want."



So, Pat drew a flower.