I recently came across a very good question: How do you let the world in without letting all of the magic seep out?
Writer-mama Jen asked this question in a post on her blog TuTu's Bliss with a beautiful photo to accompany it.
As writer-mamas do we ask ourselves this question when we sit down to write or to read a book to a child?
Sometimes I pick up a book my 2 year old has checked out from the library and I'm baffled, no frustrated, that it sends the message to my daughter to be domestic, to please others is her mission in life, to fit the 'female' role pre-determined for her by society. We need more books referenced here.
When I pick up my pen to write I have to make a conscious effort to make my characters become their own selves, not people forming to the 'norm' set by society and my own biases. Thinking outside of the box when it comes to writing is one way to help our children, our readers, keep the magic within them, to hold on to their innocence for as long as possible, even as the world comes pouring in.
What do you do as a writer and/or a mother to keep the magic alive within your child as the embark in the big wide world alone?
2 comments:
I'm working on some books on prayer for children. There is nothing better than the power of prayer and God working in our lives to help us realize our full potential in Him. With that kind of power, the world as we know it can just fall away!
So glad you have the type of vision our young children need these days!
God bless you!
Good question, Kim. For my older son, I monitor what he reads, by reading the same books and we have our own discussion about them. "What would you have done if you were Darren Shan?" Being open and talking and LISTENING more importantly, because I realize his thoughts go deeper than I anticipated. For my younger son, when we read together, I'll ask him questions, like "What do you will happen next?" or "How do you think he feels about that?"
Again, I'm surprised with my child's insight, without so much of my own translation...
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