Checking out a Jackson Pollock
This summer, my son developed an interest in Jackson Pollock. Why? I have no idea, but something about the artist peeked his interest. This was the first time my son showed any real interest in art, so I leaped. We found a museum that had Pollock's art in it, I made my son research interesting facts about him, yes, I had to explain what a "mistress" was, and you bet I ran out and got my son a giant canvas and stuck him out in the backyard with some primary colors. The end result? He knows a whole lot more about art, actually likes art museums, and has his own gorgeous canvas on his wall. Is he going to be the next Jackson Pollock? Who knows? Who cares? What matters is he is full of curiosity and life and a passion to learn new things.
Who is your child? Our kids are figuring out who they are, what their passions are, who they are going to be in the future. What can we parents do to encourage our children? Simple.
1. Be aware. Be aware of your child's interests. Listen and pay attention to their passions.
2. Foster. Find any way you can to foster that passion. It doesn't matter where they end up, what matters is they are encouraged to be curious, excited about life.
3. Encourage. No need to criticise my son's painting strokes. This is about exploring the world around him. A little encouragement goes a long way.
This summer and fall, look for ways you can encourage your child to explore his or her world and see what exciting things come!
