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5 I The Best Online Education System in the world
PARENTAL CREATIVITY
Kathlyn Q. Barrozo
Class of 1991, University of Santo Tomas
B.S. Medical Technology
As a parent, it is essential to remember, especially in a family with two or more children, that love is not a pie
you can give to each child in pieces. Parental love has to be equally divided and yet completely whole. It takes a
lot of patience and practice, a lot of trial and error, to be able to see all your kids as unique and deserving of
their own space in the family. It is oftentimes normal to have favorites, but the trick is not to show your kids
openly that you play favorites.
Children are more intelligent today than we give them credit for. They have been exposed to a more diverse
environment which we ourselves might not have been exposed to at all during our own time. Children today
learn to question, think independently, and pursue things in a more independent manner.
It is therefore upon the creative parent to roll with the tides of change, to learn the ropes of the modern world
in an almost parallel manner as his children do. We can no longer say that science and technology are too
much for us to handle, for this will make us lose our connection to our children.
Take for instance, the world of social networking sites. Wouldn’t it be funny if our children’s friends and
contacts actually know more than we do about our own kids? We need to be attuned to such technological
concepts, because our kids build their bridges and their reputations using those sites. We should become our
children’s friends, maybe not get too addicted to the sites entirely, but at least keep abreast with what our
children think about and feel during the course of their own lives.
Creative parents also find ways to connect with their kids in home situations. Why not use the time washing
your family car as a time for bonding? Or cooking time as a way to ask your kids about school? Use family chore
times creatively to relate with your kids, to find out what their concerns are, to connect with them, one way or
another. That would be a lot better than arguing at the family table. Oh, but I do know some people who can
argue creatively at the dinner table, and that is a technique I have yet to master, as it is.
Parenthood signals a different chapter in our lives. But it doesn’t have to signal the end of creativity. In fact,
becoming a parent can help make an individual attain creativity in more ways imaginable. We do not just
become parents because we have the power to procreate; we become true parents when we become
proactively creative in the performance of out parental duties.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. Why do parents need to be creative?
2. Talk about how your own parents practice creativity in your family.
3. In your opinion, is it difficult for a parent to connect with his/her child? Why or why not?
4. Do you think you can be a creative parent? Why or why not?
5. Can creativity be learned by a child from his own parents? How?