The Most Creative Child

I often wonder what life with an older Benjamin will be like. He is extremely creative, but not necessarily in traditional ways. What does it mean that he is creative? Well...

• He can look through an entire toy catalog, finding tons of stuff he wants, but all of which he plans to use for some purpose other than what the toy was intended for.
• He can ignore rooms full of toys in favor of boxes which he uses to build a play station for a cat...
• His drawings are never entitled "Pirate ship" or "My family" but instead require long sagas to tell how each of the items got there and how each is related to the others...
• He can look at a "find and seek" book, and instead of finding and seeking, he develops elaborate stories around each of the characters...
• He has never (to my knowledge) colored in a complete picture or filled in a pattern, but prefers to "wing it". His drawings, though few, are elaborate and painstakingly detailed. (The boys made pärlplattor/bead pictures for Annika. Christopher's was a perfectly executed heart pattern. Benjamin's was a free-form of Annika's camp room.

So what has he done here? He has found a pile of blocks (remnants of a Swedish game) and built a house for a small kitten he saw. In this house, the kitten can find a warm bed and be protected from other predators (as long as they don't jump over the wall). The kitten can even take a shower (if it is raining) with the help of a leaf.

We have been so fortunate to find a daycare with outstanding staff. They really appreciate Benjamin's uniqueness, and allow his creativity full reign (as long as his stories don't get too fanciful). However, his last day there is tomorrow, and in August, he will start "real" school, though he will still officially be in "zero class". I only hope that his new teachers can find a way to channel his creativity into learning basic skills... but without squashing it. I only hope that I can be patient and enjoy his stories and creations...