The New York Times this past Sunday (Jan. 31, 2016) had a great article on how to raise a creative child. It is filled with lots of good advice that all of us helicopter parents need to hear. In a sense, it was the continuation of a very provocative article that the Times ran a number of years ago when they talked to many people at the tops of their fields. The single common thread: each person had had an inspirational teacher - not the finest teacher perhaps but one who shared their love of their subject matter. Whether chemist or cellist, it was that special teacher whom each credited with their eventual success. This article reiterates this but adds: "Too much parental pressure stops kids from learning to think for themselves." My favorite line: Itzak Perlman, one of the world's greatest violinists, began teaching himself the violin after being rejected from music school.
​-Bonnie Ward Simon