The Joy of Creating

Eleven kids are on the sidewalk in front of our house. No, it’s not a party. It’s chalk. My sister gave our kids some chalk and within a few minutes, it looked like half the neighborhood had gathered. Children I have never seen are on their knees, engaged in creative activity.

I walk down the sidewalk and see a pink snake and a yellow elephant. I see a chalk boy and girl side by side. Hearts and stars and flowers – common sidewalk chalk staples – cover the pavement. I hear the children comparing artwork as they are fully focused on the joy of creating something that is all their own.

The pictures will fade, or get washed away when the sprinklers come on tonight. But right now they stand as colorful symbols of the enduring and unique expressions of art.

School has just started for my two older kids and their cousin. My sister and I are taking turns teaching the two youngest kids, Aiden and Keira, kindergarten. At this time of year, kids’ days are primarily filled with addition and subtraction, parts of speech and dates of history. Being a more studious type of person, I think my focus for the kids also tends to fall more along the lines of “finish your homework” than “let’s do something creative.”

But we were designed to be creative, and often a child’s mind is so much more tuned into that side of things than our “big-people minds,” which are often too stuffed with to-do’s and shopping lists and email replies and bills to pay.

Watching them now, fully occupied with something as simple as chalk, makes me want to spend more time with my kids on their level, creating works of art, stimulating the mind, inspiring the spirit … and just having fun – with crayons and chalk, with colors and words, with paints and poetry.

Please pass the chalk.

Question about Kids & Sleepovers

So last night, at 9 pm, the six-year-old girl from across the street ran over and called through the kitchen window for Jessica (my eight-year-old daughter), asking her if she wanted to spend the night as she was having a sleepover.

Maybe I’m just old fashioned, but I was a little surprised. Is that the way the average family with small children operates these days? No communication from parent to parent?

If you’re a parent, I’d be interested to know your take on this — moms and dads, please feel free to weigh in on this one.

Would you send your under-ten-year-old for a sleepover at a neighbor’s house if you’ve only briefly met the parent, and it isn’t the parent getting in touch about it, but the child? Would you send your under-ten-year-old to invite neighborhood kids for a sleepover without getting in touch with those kids’ parents?

Go ahead and comment below. I’ll also post this question on our Facebook page, so if you’d prefer to comment there, that’s fine too.