| Different People Think Differently
Recent news reports disclosed that some children don't have much free time during the summer vacation because their parents have planned almost every minute of each day. Whether it's summer school, piano lessons, or what have you, these youngsters are missing out on one vital ingredient in their youth: fun. Something else that crosses my mind is whether these parents have taken the time to identify their children's strengths and weaknesses. My 10-year-old son and I are as opposite as you can get. He's an artist, while my brain works in a more logical pattern. Give my son a sketch book and color pencils and he'll probably create a comic book for you. Put those same things in front of me, and I might end up wondering what we're having for dinner. I can't even draw a straight line with the help of a ruler - my finger gets in the way. On the other hand, give me a bunch of numbers and I'll start juggling them around to see what order they can make, whereas my son will daydream about dragons, dinosaurs, and Duel Masters©. Just because he can't see the importance of fractions, decimals and thousandths doesn't mean there's anything wrong with him. All it means is that he has different skills and talents which, hopefully, his mother and I will learn to nurture without him losing track of what's important in life. Truly, there's more to life than the square root of pi. 28 July 2006 |