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All too often I have sought to have a creative experience with my children only to have it blow up in my face. This usually happens when my expectations of the event have been blown way out of proportion. I'm there for a Martha Stewart experience and they've just come to play!
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| This is, "Mom I want to paint" turns into "I think I might be raising the Incredible Hulk"!! |
One thing to keep in mind when getting into a creative space with children is to remember this one important thing. THEY ARE CHILDREN! Yup, they are and it is inevitable that they will make a mess, have the attention span of a gnat and not want to do the amazing project that you have so carefully planned out. Instead of making a collage representing the cycle of life or coloring Jesus with the children, they will want to draw an epic battle between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. This is particularly true if you have boys. I am not saying that boys aren't creative, all of mine are, but they usually express it differently than my girls do.
Another thing that may help us not to get discouraged is to think of ourselves as matchmakers. If we carefully introduce our children to different mediums of art with an open heart and an open hand we may find that they will take to some and not to others. No one said that my kids have to like all the things I do...even though that may be a lot easier and more fun for me! However, when they find their perfect match it is a joy to watch them grow and explore in it!
As an example: I used to get very frustrated with my oldest son because I thought he didn't really enter into our church's worship experience. He just sat there. The church family we were part of at the time is a very expressive one where you'll see dancing, flags, visual art and more. I love to dance when I worship. My son continued to sit in the midst of this like a lump. One day when I was particularly frustrated with this I felt the Lord asking me, "Why do you think he isn't worshiping me? Don't worry about him, he's just fine." Several months later someone made my son a worship flag along with some other boys his age. And the boy moved!! He loved that flag and he used it! His expression was different than mine...just as creative, but different, he needed the right medium to express it.
The primary purpose of having that crafting time isn't to create something, though that is wonderful when it happens, it is primarily to develop and build my relationship with my child. While I am inviting them into my happy place I need to be aware of the things that they are doing so as to gain clues as to what their happy place looks like. Maybe, as I do this, they will, at some point, invite me into their happy place to enjoy their creative space with them.
It doesn't have to look perfect. It doesn't have to look like yours. Maybe they won't even do it at all! Lay your expectations down and see what happens. Be all in the moment of creativity and let it flow!
Have a creative day! I am off to experience a creative date with my daughters. We are going to the symphony where we will here a 13 year old viola soloist, see the ballet and some acting, all in one event. I'm not sure who's more excited me or them!! :) Perhaps tomorrow's post will be our pictures of the day!
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This post is one in an ongoing series called {31 days of Uncommon Creativity}. If you'd like to start back at the beginning you can do so by clicking here! You can find a lot of other 31 day-ers over at Nesting Place. go check it out you may find some great stuff there that is just begging for you to read it!
*eucharisteo*
Grace * Thanksgiving * Joy
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