Don't kill curiosity

"My kid is wasting time scribbling drawings on a piece of paper... he'd be better off practicing a few theorems, with exams round the corner" ....

 "I wish he didn't over smudge that yellow color - he could have won the first prize in drawing competition instead of second place today!"

These are two extreme cases of how parents handle creativity. On the one hand, we find parents increasingly emphasizing on the need for academics and how anything else is perceived to be wasting time. On the other, we have a set of parents who want to see their kids on top of everything that they do, ahead of everyone who do that work. 

There are also those who take the middle path - but that again is filled with parents who are indifferent - "I don't have the time"... "Just put my kid in a hobby center and forget about it"... "Just give her the iPad and let her play video games... I am busy and don't have time to involve her"

Competition kills creativity. When we say creativity, its not only something that gives rise to wonderful new things, but also the things created should have a value that provides positive impact to society. There are instances where a person's creativity has been led astray by the individual's lack of values, resulting in perversion. We are talking about huge things here! The impact and importance of honing creativity and intertwining values - is of utmost importance.  

These look like seemingly disconnected stuffs - Values, Creativity, etc... So we have folks killing creativity by emphasizing only on academics - which definitely is a vital cog in a child's growth. But one of the many. We also have folks who foster creativity but much maligned with competition and a "survival of the fittest" culture. 

And of course, the indifferent folks wont even know much before they get surprises and bombshells!

It all starts when the kid begins to speak - ask questions. Which we all did, as kids. And that is where everything is programmed - creativity, excellence, competition, values, conflicts, culture...... everything. 

And trust me, if your kid is creative, he or she would find a way to succeed in life - and if they put their minds into it, if you feel so, even in academics. Ultimately their success in life and living it in their own terms is all that matters.