Childish Hobbies

Becoming parents, as we all know, is one of the most exciting and inspiring moments in life.  Holding that precious little babe in their arms for the first time, moms and dads start fantasizing about all of the adventures to come and lessons to teach. 

We project our likes and dreams onto our children.  How many parents have you seen proudly put a T-shirt representing their favorite sports team on a six-month old or a hat from their college alma mater on their two year old?  It’s certainly not for the child’s benefit.  One of the greatest joys as a parent is sharing our loves with our new little loves. 

Another joy of parenting which was a bit unexpected, yet makes sense, is all of the new interests and passions that we discover as a result of our children.  I’ve found myself obsessed with all things creative.  From homemade anything, arts, crafts, baking, cooking and of course, writing, I’m there doing and experimenting.  At Christmastime, my daughter and I painted a huge Christmas tree on butcher paper and had a blast with the glitter and glue.  This might be a new holiday tradition.  We’ve made play dough from scratch, painted birthday cards and thank you notes, turned an antique mirror into a chic little chalkboard and for my mom’s 65^th birthday, had all of the grandchildren create some of their own special art to compile into a scrapbook. 

Our garden this year is more creative and elaborate than in years past.  I’m quite certain it’s a result of wanting our two year-old to experience the joy of patiently watching something grow and eventually having it pay off in delicious tomatoes or a tall and bright sunflower.  My husband rebuilt a wagon from our co-op preschool that was horribly vandalized over the winter and he’s had the building bug ever since.  Next on the list, family picnic table and benches! 

A particularly popular trend I’ve seen crop up amongst new parents is a heightened interest in photography.  I have several friends who are now the proud owners of very nice digital SLR cameras and lenses.  Their beautiful children and the millions of special expressions or “firsts”, inspired them to take up a new hobby which would enable them to better capture these moments.  I must admit that while I have not invested in an expensive digital SLR, I certainly have upgraded my camera and find myself formulating the perfect shot in my head on many occasions.  I know one mom who started a photography club when her first baby was about six months old.  A lot of other friends have taken serious photography classes either on-line or at one of the local community colleges.  They have some amazing photographs of their little beauties.  One friend has turned her talent into a full-fledged business. 

Having a nice camera and being able to take amazing shots of your children also eliminates the need and expense of having to get your child’s childhood professionally chronicled.  No fussy trips to the local department store or photography studio necessary.   Not to mention the convenience and spontaneity of always being around to capture the puddle jumping or joy of flying a kite for the first time.

Childhood goes way too fast.  There is absolutely nothing else that compares to the magic and pure expression of life that exudes out of children.  Part of the awesomeness of being a parent, other than the torrential love that you have for your child, is being able to witness and experience these moments of magic and the heartbeat of life again through your children.  As an added bonus we get to discover and experiment in new passions, hobbies and ourselves.   

The following sites are for inspiration.

Get Crafty :

The Artful Parent

The Write Start

A little bit of everything:

North Seattle Community College – Continuing Education

In case you too have the photography bug:

Everything Bloom – A very inspiring photography blog, which also offers on-line workshops.

Photography Institute