The power of imagination

 

My children spent all morning on the phone with the doctor. They hand an old PDA back and forth, and have long discussions about “the babies”.
Apparently, this imaginary doctor has given them twins (that’s where babies come from- the doctor), he needs to be thanked, and they have to ask him a multitude of questions about what to do with these babies.

Of course, whoever is not on the phone, pretends to be the doctor; as for those babies, they take turns acting out what they believe babies do with their time. They also pretend to talk like adults, tell each other in exasperated voices “I’m on the phone! Be quiet!”, and pretend to be strangers asking about those babies. In fact, they spend an inordinate amount of their day crawling into someone else’s skin.

Imagination is a strange and powerful thing. Earlier today, they pretended to “talk like bad guys”. It means emitting a deep growling, reminiscent of the Exorcist; I swear I expected their heads to start spinning at some point. After half an hour, I asked them to stop. Sure, the experts tell us imagination is healthy and a necessary part of children’s development, but I have my limits.

I also have questions. Is imagination still a good thing if it goes to far? What if my son, who regularly imagines he can fly, decides to try this out for real? What if my daughter, who imagines she will someday be a famous actress, singer, and dancer, meets up with reality and finds out that’s easier said than done? At what point do children draw the line between what is real, and what is not; and what if they continue to see that line as blurred? In short, I wonder what makes for a healthy imagination.

There are many different opinions about imagination. It’s a necessary skill, it can help us visualize our futures; if we can think positively, we can affect our lives. It’s an “If you build it, they will come” sort of thing. Some even say the opposite is equally true; by imagining bad things, and having a negative attitude, we will sabotage our own lives to the point of utter failure. So, if you want to be successful, all you have to do is imagine yourself successful, and voilà. You’re there.

If that is true, I hope my children will start playing different games before they reach high school. Otherwise, Isabella will end up as President of the world, while Mendel will own the biggest weapons arsenal in the history of mankind. I’m fairly sure we don’t want that.

 

 

For more on how to spark your kids' imagination, see Creativity helps kids in school, and the fabulous Imagination Factory

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