If you’ve ever watched a child paint, you’ve probably noticed something.
They don’t hesitate.
They don’t sit there wondering if it’s good enough.
They don’t compare their work.
They don’t ask if the tree should really be purple.
They just begin.
There’s a kind of freedom in the way children create. A natural trust. A willingness to explore without needing an outcome.
And then, somewhere along the way, that changes.
We start to learn what is “right” and what is “wrong.”
We become more aware of how things should look.
We begin to compare, to correct, to judge.
Slowly, creativity becomes something we evaluate instead of something we experience.
This is often when adults start saying, “I’m not creative.”
But the truth is, that creativity never left. It just became covered by layers of expectation.
Children remind us of what it looks like without those layers.
They show us:
- How to follow curiosity instead of rules
- How to enjoy the process instead of focusing on the result
- How to create without fear of making mistakes
As parents, it’s natural to want to guide. But sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is not interfere too much.
Instead of correcting, we can observe.
Instead of judging, we can ask.
Instead of leading, we can sit beside them and create too.
Because when children see us reconnect with our own creativity, something shifts for them as well.
They feel permission.
And maybe, as we sit with them, brush in hand, we begin to remember something too.
That creativity was never something we had to earn.
It was always something we had.
“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime o paint like a child.” Pablo Picasso
