Zone Defence

Hockey season begins.
Baseball as much as come to an end.
My son and my daughter are dreaming of the day they'll be part of a soccer team.

I cringe. I know nothing of athletics. P-man? He's all over it. Lithe and sportsmanlike, in his day. A natural coach. I wonder what they'll do. I hope they do enjoy it. But it won't be for me having a clue. I am at a loss when they hang on the monkey bars.

But arts performance?? I'm all over that. I signed Miss Fancy up for the coolest ballet class ever (community centre!). She has a great teacher she loves who has a beautiful -- huge -- tattoo on her shoulder of Isadora Duncan. (All the kids get stamps on their shoulders now, not their hands, when they're finished. Cute. huh?) It is fun to dance stories, my girl thinks. Yes, ma'm!

I will love the kids experiences in the arts, a lot I think. Dance, theatre, music. YOu? Love and contemplate, it seems.

A year or so ago I finally realized that a fine arts education, sorry to all my arts peeps, is REALLY REALLY REALLY important. When I examine what bugs me about INFLUENCE and my kids growing up I look to defend them. But really the best defence they'll have is a healthy base of the arts. The spine they might gain from creating things, from composing ideas and representations (instead of having them foisted upon them.) I value opportunities for them to play with identity, philosophy, politic, etc etc. Last week my son was 'drawing'. I chided his Dad a little for helping too much. Making logical suggestions for tableaux. Let him do it. If he is demanding of his drawing, if he is reckless in his image, okay. If he erratic or illogical with his imagery. At this SO WHAT! He can have that liberation!! (And, at the age of two -- trust me -- that little guy is looking for the liberal windows he can get out of his parents, big time.)

What about you? Can you tell by now if you will gravitate to arts or sports extra-curricular? Or both? Or neither. Any of it figure for ya?