Here is something I notice and contemplate… we have been nurtured to fill up space, lest we feel worthless or lacking in use. Packing our days, then our weekends, with classes, sports, shopping. As adults, we are sometimes prisoners to this schedule, apparently trained early on that a spare schedule equals a boring or unfulfilled life.
I wonder if what our children miss is more than they gain when we include them in our scrambles and sign them up for every interesting activity that comes along – creating their very own pint-size rat races.
It seems in this modern time, many of us fear what children might do if left alone with a block of free time. And how do we give them this time when there are so many things to sign them up for? What will other parents think if we can’t compete in the contest of whose child did more on spring or summer break?
I have a family in my past whose parents filled every hour of time from the end of school til the (late) bedtime of their children ~ “worried about what they might get in to” if left to their own devices, in their own child-created spaces…
What if we gave our children an entire weekend to bum around in their jammies and do whatever strikes their fancy? What about boredom and letting them experiment and build their own internal toolbox of ideas and creations to keep themselves busy? What if we placed more value on the skills to get along with their siblings; the nurturing goodness of a family dinner around the table; the comfort and strength of not only togetherness, but solitude.
Maybe I’m justifying the fact that I honestly feel one of the greatest gifts I can give my boys is the Gift Of Space. Space in their schedules and in their days. In our family, family time, finding something to do, sharing stories, and doing ‘our own thing’, outweigh filling up each afternoon with activities outside the home.
The bottom line for me stems from the world’s devastating need for healthy family relationships.
I am asking questions because I am not entirely certain of the answers, I know how I feel in my heart, but I do not mistake the fact that every family/child is different. It is possible that my Gift Of Space could also be called old fashioned, lazy or selfish. But my two best-friend boys are really happy, creative and inventive and I have only heard “I’m bored” a couple of times, in their lives.
What do YOU think?
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Also, this week’s new original mini painting is called Gently Does It ~ this original piece has SOLD, because a collector who saw her on Facebook (before she was completely done) asked to claim her.
YOU can do this too… if you ever see a piece in process (I post on Facebook and Instagram) and feel a connection, don’t hesitate to ask if you can snag her. I’ll let you know if someone else has already done so, or if the piece is a commissioned piece.
Get yourself a print of Gently Does It, here.
Gentle Does It by Katie m. Berggren
Thank you for everything, have a WONDERFUL day. Wanna chat live on Facebook? I’ll see you there.
Sincerely, Katie
