During isolation there maybe things you were forced to drop, forgo or give up. It was the same for adults and children.
I don’t miss arguing with my children, persuading, cajoling and enticing them into their next after-school sporting activity. Pre Iso my kids were over-scheduled. We have dropped one sport entirely. While we miss the activity and the community it provided, it has made a bit more breathing space in our week.
As we started the July school holidays, we were all exhausted from the transitions. Transition into isolation, home schooling, out of isolation and back to school. The break provided time to recharge. School holidays serve an important purpose, they get us back into a routine that’s good for the soul.
Our school holidays were slow and lazy. I made an attempt at portraying a healthy lifestyle and we walked the dog every day. The dog appreciated it, but there was resistance from other quarters. My kids pottered around during the rest of the time and stepped away from screen and school friendships. During home schooling they were attached to their screens.
There was an ease to the day that didn’t involve lunchboxes, readers, library books, homework and whatever else they must remember to take to school. Just in case you think that we couldn’t move here for unicorns and rainbows, there was arguing.
I recently watched this TED talk by British creative and cultural education authority Sir Ken Robinson. Watch or just listen and be entertained on such an important subject. He is also very funny. Sir Ken argues that we don’t get the best out of people because we’ve been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers. He says that rather than being encouraged to be curious, students with a passion for knowledge are ignored or stigmatised, to society’s detriment. He believes that schools should encourage kids with restless minds to find what interests them and pursue it.
Some kids know what their passion is, and some kids don’t. Same goes for adults. Sir Ken encourages us to embrace our kids’ creativity. When not on a screen, what do your children do? Apart from argue with their siblings. In this house, arguing with siblings is routine. During the holidays I didn’t discover any hidden passions … my own or the children’s. However, I did love the slowness of the days that were not filled with activities and play dates.
Now we are back into term three, we all love the routine of school, friends, teachers, homework and lunchboxes. And I am watching my kids to work out what their passions are. I am sure that we will experiment with several before we find them. https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity?
Photo courtesy of Olivia Bauso Unsplash
