Surviving Parenthood

by Kirk Kraft

Kirk Kraft of Marysville is married and the father of four children, all under 8 years old, in whom he takes great delight. He believes parenting is a journey filled with joyous peaks and difficult valleys, but it is also the greatest privilege in the world. He can be reached at kraftka@verizon.net.

We like to believe we have great imaginations as adults. In reality, we have nothing on children. The creative thoughts that emanate from a young child's mind are precious and fascinating to behold.

Remember back to your own childhood and those times of wonder from your youngest years. Most of us have very vivid memories or family photos of our imaginations at work.

As a parent of four children under eight, my house is full of imaginative little minds. My oldest daughter had an imaginary friend when she was around 3 years old. It was the cutest thing to watch her as she made room for her, reminded us she was also in the room and would play with her. This of course was before the siblings came along and there was no longer a need for an extra body!

My 5-year-old son has always possessed a wonderful imagination. While he enjoys a good dose of sword-fighting, he also likes to pretend he is a superhero. Naturally, he now gravitates to those he has seen on TV or elsewhere, like Superman or Spiderman, but what he does with those heroes steps beyond his knowledge of their powers.

Then there is my little ballerina, Katarina, our 3-year-old. She has flitted and fluttered around every room in our home since she was two. She dances whether there is music or not, and loves to dress up like her older sister. They dream of faraway lands and adventures as princesses with Caleb fighting dragons and evil kings.

One of the funniest things I remember observing was the time the three of them had assembled several blankets on their bedroom floor and were holding on to each other as if they were at sea. One would say, "Don't fall into the water," and another would reply, "Don't worry, we will get you out of the water."

I provide these examples to encourage you as a parent to nurture your child's imagination and even take the time to step into their little world, whatever it may be on that particular day. There are many things in today's world that make kids grow up much faster than they should. Let us relish the moments where their imaginations create lifelong memories for them and for us.