I love having a child – specifically, a 5-year-old daughter. At 5-years-old, she has become a miniature social and psychological embodiment of me, with a significant percentage of Elise mixed in there as well. Seriously, who better to hang out with than an amalgamation of my two favorite people in the world?!
She reminds me a lot of me in that she’s somewhat introverted. She’s comfortable with the people she knows, but she takes her time and has her own process to attain that comfort level.
This past Friday evening she and I were hanging out in the front yard like we do just about every evening when the weather’s nice. Our neighbors came over to chat for a while in our driveway. After talking for a few minutes, Maly politely interrupted to let us all know that she had a secret that she wanted to share.
She then went on for 15 minutes, relaying the synopsis of Dean Koontz’s “Darkfall” novel. You see, one night before bed, Maly had asked me why there were “bad” or “scary” things. I don’t remember the exact context, but I told her that while there are many bad and scary things in the real world, many are created in the imagination and subconscious. I went on to explain to her that she should always embrace and explore her own imagination, and to express it in words, drawings, paintings, music or whatever she sees fit. It was then that I told her about this Dean Koontz book that I was reading. And I didn’t pull any punches. I told her about the slimy, gray-green ratlike demon monsters with rows of razor sharp teeth and fire white eyes who lurked after the protagonist’s children in the night. With each detail I relayed, I told her that it was the author’s imagination that he was sharing in the form of a book. As I told her this story, I gauged her reactions and knew that she was interested above scared.
I think she really appreciated and understood the notion of an authoring pouring his thoughts and imagination onto paper. I think she’s been so excited that she hasn’t been able to sleep for a whole week!
I think it’s possibly a backfire on your part. I think you were just in speaking your mind. We all have to solve the puzzle in our own way, and it’s just a matter of judegement in a child as to how we present it. You are a good parent…