A Childs imagination
Tell your children to live their dreams
Have you ever heard the song by Harry Chapin “Flowers are Red”? I love this song. It is a song about a little boy on his first day of school and what happened to him. It always reminds me how it is our responsibility to encourage our children to think out of the box and to freely use their imagination.
Our children naturally day dream and make up fairy tale stories in their minds. They may have imaginary friends, see imaginary monsters and easily see wonderfully whimsical things in the clouds in the sky. We should want them to hold on to this ability as long as possible. All too quickly, the reality of life sets in and begins to squash many dreams.
I remember when my son was in third grade, and the teacher asked all the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up. My sweet little boy proudly said “I want to be an artist, just like my mom”. That teacher laughed at him and said “son, you better think of something else. You will never be able to feed a family as an artist or have all the nice things in life you kids want these days”. Poor little Michael came home and I knew something was very wrong. He was not the happy little kid that had left the house in the morning. When I was able to get him to tell me what she said – I nearly blew a gasket.
I was appalled that someone as influential as a teacher would discourage a child from anything they wanted to be. Then I remembered that someone had done the exact same thing to me as a child. I was so angry about this that the next day I marched myself down to the school and requested a conference with the Principal and the teacher. They were in for the lecture of their life. After telling them what I felt their responsibility was – encouraging children and teaching them the possibilities in life – not to beat them down and strip all hope from them – I looked right at that teacher and let her know that I, as a “photographic artist” made more money than she did and that she was dead wrong in her perception of artists.
I know many people today who are amazing artists and yes some of them struggle making ends meet but I also know people with Masters Degrees in education, technology, marketing and many other areas , that can’t even get a job today. Regardless of what you choose to do in life, to me the most important thing is to do something you love. Be happy. Life is too short to hate going to work every day. It is far too short to park your dreams on a shelf or to let someone discourage you from following your dreams.
Follow your heart. Encourage your children to live their dreams. Embrace life’s possibilities. Remember “not all flowers are red, they are what ever color you want them to be…
Here is a link to Harry performing this sweet little song.
Flowers are Red by Harry Chapin
What do you think?
Diaper line up
Before my son was born I remember buying 80 large boxes of
diapers and having them stored in the closet of his room – ready for his arrival. I thought I’d never have to buy another box
of them again. I had no idea whether I had the right ones or
not. In fact, I had no idea there was a
difference in diapers. The only thing I
knew was I did not want to use cloth diapers.
It was at difficult thing, having to figure out was which diaper would
work best for his little bottom.
Not all diapers are created equal. In fact, we found several that were a real disaster
and it didn’t seem to matter how much they cost. It was about the way they were made and fit.
We tried brand names like Pampers, Huggies and Luvs as well
as store brands. The Pampers were too
small, too slim cut for him. The Huggies
gapped at the leg and that was really a mess.
But the Luvs seemed to be the best “fit” for us (no pun intended) and the bonus was that
after we purchased the ten millionth box we got a free “Cookie
Monster” stuffed animal. My baby
boy loved “Cookie!” I still
have that little stuffed animal, even today.
Maybe one day I’ll have a grandchild to share him with.
Which diaper works for you little one?
I love to hear a belly giggle from a baby. It makes me smile. I know you will too.
Your baby’s first smiles melted your heart — so prepare for more parental puddling now, as your baby learns to laugh out loud. Sometime between three and four months of age, she’ll likely add her first chuckles and giggles to her repertoire of vowel-sound coos. What will inspire that first outburst?
It could be anything from the sight of your face, or an older sibling’s goofy grin, to a favorite toy or a silly sound. While these early laughs and coos are delightful to watch, they’re rewarding for baby too — she loves hearing her own voice, and seeing others’ reactions. Plus, with each coo and goo she’s learning and practicing how to move her mouth and tongue to produce different sound effects.
You can encourage these interactions by talking with your baby often. Provide a stream of commentary: “Here’s a clean diaper so you’ll feel nice and dry. All done! Now I’m snapping your shirt — one, two, three snaps! — and pulling up your cozy red pants. Should we read a book next? How about this one with the bears taking a walk?” It may feel silly to chatter away to someone whose conversational skills are limited to a few vowel sounds and gurgles, but this is how she begins to learn language and laughter. And by pausing in your patter, you not only give her a chance to chime in and hear her own voice, you’re also teaching her the social skills she’ll need to be a polite preschooler and a gracious adult.
Pin It
Early Fun and Games with Baby
Wondering how to play with your wee one?
Here’s an itsy-bitsy refresher course.
Now that your baby is nearing the three-month milestone, he’s spending more time awake and alert. As exciting as that is, that may also have you wondering how to occupy his time (“Hmm…now what? It’s playtime — but how do I play with this lovely little lump?”). Well, it’s time to dig out those dusty nursery rhymes and baby-game classics from the recesses of your mind. Oops…is your brain still in the thick of pregnancy fog? Here’s a refresher course on those fun games that have been delighting children for ages…
- This Little Piggy: Starting with the big toe, the pigs “went to market,” “stayed home,” “ate roast beef,” “had none,” and (the pinky toe; tickle all the way up his body with this one!) “cried wee, wee, wee, all the way home.”
- Eyes, Nose, Mouth: .Hold your baby’s hands and guide them to touch your own eyes, nose, and mouth, then give him a kiss: “Eyes, nose, mouth, smooch!”
- So Big: Again, start by holding your baby’s hands. Then ask, “How big is baby?” (better yet, use his name). Then spread his arms wide and answer, “Sooooo big!”
In addition to these games, your baby may enjoy watching shapes dangling from a mobile or baby gym, looking at himself in a mirror (choose a baby-safe, unbreakable one), or listening and gazing intently as you shake a rattle or roll a ball with a bell inside. And it’s never too early to sing or read to him — he’s very busy storing up sounds and words that he’ll need later as a talkative toddler.
We use many of these game techniques when we work with babies nearing the 3 month mark. They are so expressive when they learn something new. It just makes your heart melt.
Pin It
Meeting & helping more photographers at the NC trade show in Raleigh today. Come on by.
