My mom made an interesting comment this evening as we were talking about cub scouts and things from my childhood. She stated that she has always believed that if you can give a child integrity, the ability to read, and creativity, that child is set for life. As I reflect back on my childhood and recent education courses, I know that is what she gave me, and she was smart in doing so.
From a young age I didn't usually do things that were untrustworthy, but several instances come to mind that have left a mark in my conscience. One of the worst things we could do as kids was lie to our parents. I think lying was the one thing that reaped the harshest punishments. The only time I got grounded was when my sister, and I did not tell Mom where we were and then disobeyed her by going to our friend's house when she told us not too. There was another instance when a mess of peanut butter and jelly was left on the counter. For some reason, Mom didn't simply clean it up; she insisted that whoever left it should clean it up. Well, no one admitted to the deed, and we couldn't do anything until someone confessed and cleaned it. I think we must have all forgotten whether we had done it or not, but finally one of my brothers volunteered to clean the mess, though he did not know who made it. It was a strong lesson on the importance of honesty. The other that I always remember is the only time my mom ever gave a few licks on the backside to one of my siblings was when one of my brothers didn't tell her the truth.
The ability to read unleashes an amazing realm of possibilities. Not only can one explore other worlds and lives through novels and stories, but she can inform herself in any subject, have more opportunities to do critical thinking, have power over her own life and learning. If one can read...etc. I remember my mom and my siblings sitting down and helping me as I first began learning to read. Once my mom and several of us kids sat in the hallway of our house, and she read a Dr. Seuss book to us. Dr. Seuss was one of my mom's favorite authors. We grew up mainly on his books. It is amazing what a simple thing like literacy can do to change a person into something better.
Now, creativity is a little different, but it was one thing my mom taught us very well, and it's a tactic she utilizes at almost every cub scout meeting she holds. Because she encouraged it so heavily by coming up with strange, on the fly projects using everyday materials, allowed us to spend hours and hours building dirt cities in the back yard, encouraged our imaginations by reading to us, forced us to turn off the TV, didn't give in to the "popular" toys, and vocalized her views; we assimilated similar traits. We would sometimes rather spend hours building Lego houses, snow villages, or dirt towns than watch TV. We never had a game boy or X-box to "entertain" us. Our main computer games were things such as Roller-coaster Tycoon or Age of Empires (over which we tended to fight and from which we eventually shied away). The older computer games were things that dealt with solving puzzles, reading, or solving math problems. I could go on and on, but the main jist is that because she insisted on providing such a rich environment for creativity, problem solving, and exploration, we gained the abilities to do things creatively, solve our own problems, and seek new territories.
I am very grateful for the stubborn, creative, intelligent, resourceful, honest, loving, confident young woman that my mom shaped me to be. And thanks Dad for encouraging her methods and expounding upon them. I hope to do the same for my future children.
