The Art of Becoming

My father is a lawyer, so legal jargon has been a part of my vocabulary for a long time. That and watching Matlock reruns on weekday mornings as a kid. Attorneys make their arguments to the jury or the judge, and when they're finished, they often (anecdotally anyway) say, "The defense rests" or "I rest my case." I'm adept at rebuttal and making my case. Frankie: Why can't I have a cheese stick right now? me: Because we are about to eat dinner. Audrey: Why can't I bring milk in the living room? me: Because if it spills, then it will be a huge mess. Sean: Why do I have to put my clean clothes away? me: Because otherwise Penny comes up and lays on them, thereby making them no longer clean. Frankie: Why do I have to wear underwear? me: Because you're wearing a dress and we're going to church. Frankie: Why can't I have a cookie? me: Because you already had ice cream. Audrey: Why do I have to clean my room? I already did...

I took our kids to the new MADE space in St. Louis. It has multiple areas dedicated to Makers, Artists, Designers, and Entrepreneurs and loads of hands on activities for kids. I walked around the 7,000 sq. ft. space reading about entrepreneurs and artists who have harnessed the power of their creativity into a career or business. Many of these people found a creative seed inside their childhood, nurtured that seed, watered it, and eventually that seed led to what they would become professionally. I imagined each one of my children doing creative, exciting work as adults, and we spent hours there. Initially however, I feared that our time would be cut short. At many points Frankie ran to a station excitedly. She found materials to begin building, her first attempt tumbled, and then she became discouraged. Her brow stayed permanently furrowed. She panicked, raced to another area, and began a new project with vigorous energy. When the second attempt proved more difficult than her first id...