Figuring out how to change the rules

I watched a lightbulb moment happening with Cole and Imogen the other morning in that just before we get breakfast and organised pocket of time. It was fabulous! D and I gave them a train set for Christmas, and it's been great fun for all of us, setting it up, acting things out, breaking it up again and so forth. But for the first few weeks, both munchkins were adamant that the track could and should be constructed only as it was shown on the box. So that's the way we did it. Again. and again. And again. And finally one morning the most magical thing happened - each child realised of their own accord that actually there was more than one way to put the tracks together. In fact, there were many many ways...and very often figuring out a different configuration resulted in a better track than the one on the box. And best of all, this way was so much more fun and engaging. And you could each do your own thing and have two tracks, or you could join them together or or or...the possibilities were truly endless.

And I know my kids aren't the only ones who insist on setting up things right in the middle of where you need to be able to walk. I don't mind it really - I figure it's a short stage in the scheme of things and as my gorgeous friend recently told me: when you have little kids in the house you can either spend every waking minute trying to keep a magazine-photo home, or you can learn to be a high stepper to get over and around the debris and detritus. We're pretty good at the high step!

I was so thrilled at this momentous discovery with the tracks...not least of all because I feel I've been making a similar discovery with quilting over the past year or so (though mostly in my head due to time and other constraints). It's really good to know the rules and how things are designed to work, but when you can move beyond that to your own creations, now that is the part, my lovelies, that truly makes my heart sing!

Comments

[Kelley]

See, that ice skating on cat food was a stepping stone to true genius! :)

[Jolie]

...and the subsequent three-different-types-of-nuts,-one-whole-bag-of-milo-and-2-litres-of-milk was *actually* their application presentation to get into MIT! lol...

[Nikki]

The lightbulb moments are like magic, aren't they (part of the reason I love teaching). I think it is the closest we get to seeing what's goign on in their heads.

Your friend is not only gorgeous, but smart. Great advice.

And get to hear your heart singing!

[Jolie]

The lightbulbs really are just incredible. I loved them when I was teaching too - though by the time they get to university it's all about protecting the ego and pretending you knew it all along, so the lightbulb moments were often more heavily disguised!