"A Wonderful Dream" was the essay topic, and my second grader wrote a rather scary story about a witch who forced him to eat four flavours of ice cream- chocolate, strawberry, butterscotch and mango. He didn't quite want to eat the ice cream, but did, because she threatened to turn him into an ice cream cone if he didn't.
It was a fantastic story, but not quite what was required. "Is that a Wonderful Dream, or a Scary one?", I asked.
He thought about it, then wrote an essay about a day spent in the park.
Did I kill creativity?
_____
A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.
20 comments:
I doubt you've killed his creativity (or even injured it), he is your son after all. Besides children are quick to learn the discipline of writing the requirements on paper while their minds travel elsewhere.
Learning definitions is merely instruction. You kill creativity when you don't allow children the freedom to write on their own, to make their own mistakes, i.e. "Here let Mommy show you..." That quickly kills the spirit no matter how well intentioned.
Naw! Tell him to save that one for a scary story assignment.
Whats it with kids and scary stuff? no matter what the topic mine comes up with something scary too..... when he had to make up a character and write about him, this chap first thought up a monster with a hundred heads! and next he came up with a man who always stands on his hands!!! thankfully he has a teacher who appreciates it, so its not a problem... but then, i do keep telling him to think of something positive too.... now your post makes me wonder if i am killing his creativity too!
Isn't that what all editors do? Hahahahaha!
most certainly not! But I say that IS a wonderful dream... I like ice cream and those flavors sound divine... mmmm~ :D
outta the way witch! ;p
Definitely a wonderful dream... and with a pinch of spooky. Very creative!
Rayna - Oh, no, absolutely not! You didn't kill his creativity at all. Especially since you didn't tell him his story was bad. You simply helped him match his creativity to what he needed to do. He will use that amazingly creative dream another time.
I think as long as you told him how great the story he wrote was and encourage expressing himself again, it’s all good. You probably a saved him from trouble with a teacher who would have lower a grade even if he explain how wonderful it really was. I like teachers, but they and they are sticklers.
No, he was just over the ice cream. Brain freeze had set in, from thinking about being forced to eat that much. This would be a dream for me. I love the stuff and can't eat much of it~
Thanks for sharing; I love the wonder and magic of children! xXx
I don't think so. You just re-focused it a bit.
Mason
Thoughts in Progress
Not at all! If you hadn't gently re-focused his creativity, the teacher may have killed it for not following instructions.
No. Because the story was there. But, children have to learn to think creatively within guidelines because it's required for school, for university and even writers have to follow guidelines to get picked up by publishers... sadly.
I don't think so....if he can dream up stuff like that, there's no killing it!
Laughing (in a very loving supportive way) because you didn't kill creativity. He is a vessel of it. And so are you, so.
No you didn't kill creativity. You got him to write 2 stories instead of 1. And made him think about different points of view. The ice cream was a wonderful dream for the witch and a scary one for him.
You simply thought him to be practical and diverse while retaining his creativity ...
Be curious as to why he thought that was wonderful!
What a charming story! I think the dream was a good one, and I wish that witch would come visit me. :)
Did you ask your son why he wrote a new story when the first one was so good?
@ Mary - you have more experience with kids, so I trust you. I also want to trust you!
@ Danette - that is something I rarely do. If there are mistakes, I let them be, though I do point out later that it needs to be written a different way. So I guess I am safe.
@ Alex - I will do that. Or he can finish the story and guest blog for me one day.
@ Anu - I think that is a delightful story. And I do think telling him to be positive is not a bad thing at all, though kids that age do seem to veer towards what we think is morbid.
@ Debra - lol
@ Leigh- it is a fantastic dream isn't it?
@ Fiona - wonderfully imaginative for sure
@ Margot - that is a point. He chose to change the story himself, which means he avoided getting into trouble at school. Maybe that witch story was to scare me.
@ Holly - so true. And yes, he knows I love the story.
@ Ellen - me too. I can eat any amount of ice cream. As can my son, though I don't let him eat too much of it because it gives him a bad throat.
@ Mason - thank you for the reassurance
@ Kittie - that is a much nicer way of looking at it.
@ Clarissa - and the sotry is still there, because unlike us, he wrote on paper, and the paper is in a book
@ Oddyoddyo13 - he can dream stuff like that the way most people can breathe. But then he is still a kid.
@ Barbara - that was an amazingly creative story, wasn't it?
@ Theres just life - and the good thing is that he chose to write it himself. Which means he is addicted to words too.
@ Rek - I guess so. Thank you
@ Diane - I think I know. He loves ice cream, but also knows that when he has it he almost always ends up with a bad throat. So it may well be his scariest dream
@ Patricia - no I didn't. I jsut let it be. And yes, I would loe to have her visit me too
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