Parenting Thoughts from a Non-Parent

Here's an interesting quote I came across in my back-to-school research: "What good are straight teeth and trumpet lessons to the child who isn't awake to the wonder that this world is charged with?"

I'm thankful for my parents who "got" this. We went on all sorts of family vacations all over the country. We didn't watch much TV when I was younger. We read a lot. Both of my parents told us all kinds of stories. My mom led Story Hours at our local library every summer while I was in elementary school. My parents took us to church and taught us all about God's amazing creation. This isn't to say that you shouldn't get braces or music lessons for your kids. One of my brothers had braces, and all of us learned how to play at least one musical instrument.

Certainly you can find wonder in the world from music lessons, and some kids just have awful teeth. But too many parents think they've "arrived" when their kids have beautiful pearly whites or killer musical talent or even impressive sports abilities. The result: boring, unimaginative kids.

I was semi-interested in music growing up. I was never really good and loathed practicing. I preferred to run around my backyard playing "Wonder Woman and Cat Woman" with my neighbor Meghan. It was just like it sounds. I was Wonder Woman, and Meghan was Cat Woman. Anyways, every once in a while I'd go to a music camp. There were a lot of highly talented musicians there. They forgot more about music than I ever understood. Many of them didn't have many interests outside of music.

Now I'm not trying to stereotype or poke fun. I believe strongly in the value of good musicianship. My mother-in-law is a former music teacher, my sister-in-law minored in music, my other sister-in-law is currently majoring in Music Education, my husband's cousin majored in music, my husband is a highly-talented trumpet player, we both played and traveled with the concert symphonic band in college, my best friend from childhood is a crazy good pianist and violinist, my dad has a couple vocal recordings on cassette from his college days of traveling with an ensemble, my cousin was accompanying her high school band and choir when she was in junior high, the list goes on and on and on. Every last one of these people understands the wonder of the world. Why? Because their parents let them.

So parents, let your kids explore. Let your kids discover things on their own. Let them outside by themselves. Take them on trips to national parks and museums. Talk about the things of this world that fascinate you. Model discovery in your own life. Invent imaginative games for them. When you do watch TV, watch things like the Travel Channel and Discovery and the History Channel. Applaud their attempts at creativity. Don't spend every vacation in Ocean City, NJ. Don't let video games or TV rule your children's lives. Don't buy copious amounts of toys to keep your kids occupied. Don't force your kids to practice hours upon hours upon hours a day (unless they really, really want to) of either music or sports.

You may be thinking that I don't have a whole lot of credibility in this area since I don't have kids. You're probably right. However, as a teacher, I've seen some kids with little to no imaginations because their parents don't help them develop their imaginations (probably because their grandparents didn't develop their parents' imaginations!). Some of these kids come from well-to-do, loving homes with parents who genuinely want what's best for their kids. They just don't know how to help their children see the wonder in the world.

My brother, Kent, and me at our aunt's wedding in 1992. This has nothing to do with imagination, but everything to do with how cute we were!

Before life and schedules get crazy with the starting of school, make sure you help your children see the wonder in the world. They'll thank you for it one day...and so will their teachers!