Every once in a while I get to hang out with my friends’ children and we talk about how life was in the “old” days.
Conversations usually start out with the kids asking me about something they recently learned in school.
The last one that sticks out most in my mind was a discussion about leprechauns and St. Patrick’s Day – both of which prompted excitement on the youngster’s end.
Now, said children were excited about having decorated their parent’s house with leprechauns of their own choosing and asked me if I knew what one was.
Naturally, I gave them the G-rated and more Disney-friendly version rather than the actual fairytale version.
However, things got funnier when I asked them if they thought all leprechauns were ginger-haired.
And that turned into a little debate as to why they couldn’t have brown or blond hair – or even worse, a whole other color like silver, purple, or pink.
We also explored the reason why they’re always depicted wearing green and what sorts of treasure and gold can be found at the end of a rainbow.
But, since I’m the one asking the questions and my brain’s firing a bit faster than theirs, it earned me several quiet minutes as they pondered and made some downtime for their mom.
Even if it’s just for three to five minutes, it still helps slow things down and give them time to exercise their little brains.
Which means I think I’m pretty sure I’ve cracked the code to earning a few stolen moments of silence.
But, I can’t give my friend all the credit for having her kids used as guinea pigs in my little experiment.
I first noticed it when I would read stories during my stint at the public library.
I noticed that it helped keep the kids engaged as much as it helped to prompt them to use their imaginations along the way.
Plus, it’s always a bit entertaining to see what their creative sides can make up.
But now, it’s got me wondering if mom ever played the same tricks on me as a kid.
And since I’m the eldest child, it’s a bit easier to recall when my siblings were prompted with similar questions.
I mean, it’s not like I can recall it from a child’s perspective as much as I can from a teen’s view or the adult stage of life now.
Either way, it’s a helpful reminder that we should try to look at things from another perspective and challenge ourselves to think outside the box.
I’m not saying it’ll help with those awful word problems we had in math class at school.
But, it can provide a bit of mental exercise and dust off our creative sides.
And honestly, I don’t think that’s a bad thing by far – especially given how stubborn people seem to be as they age.
Besides, any exercise that doesn’t require me to sweat or go outside in the heat is definitely preferable for me – how about you?
