Wish all my blogger friends a warm and beautiful Diwali! Today, I have the pleasure of hosting Roshni of Big A Little a on my blog. Find her blog on Facebook at Big A Little a. I have known Roshni only for a short time, but I instantly felt a connect with her. Like me, she is a mom to two naughty boys, and her blog is filled with their crazy antics, something that I identify so much with :). She is a warm, friendly person, and I feel very welcome in her space. If you like parenting blogs, you must visit her blog. Today, she writes a lovely post for me. Thank you Roshni…
When I was 11, I visited the Arctic. I remember it clearly. I was standing knee deep in snow in the middle of nowhere. All around were mountains of powder-soft, snow-white ice. Snowflakes swirled around me, and I stretched out my hands to catch them. I looked around and saw a faint plume of smoke in the distance. I got prepared to trudge through the snow to reach that place, but surprisingly, I appeared to glide over the snow to reach a colony of igloos. The smoke was coming out of one of the chimneys. Getting down on my hands and knees, I crawled through the entrance to see an Eskimo family preparing a meal of seal meat. Warm cozy furs lined the wall and the Eskimos were squatting on the floor, also dressed in fur coats, thick trousers and knee-length boots. I glanced down to see what I was wearing and was shocked to find that I had on my school dress, which was a thin cotton white uniform. I crawled out of the igloo, wondering why I was not feeling cold.
Just as I came out of the entrance backwards, I heard a growl behind me. Half-knowing what to expect, I slowly turned around… to find myself face to face with a gigantic furry polar bear. I was frozen to the spot; petrified!! My mind raced, trying to think of what to do, wishing I hadn’t left the cozy igloo. The polar bear towered over me, waving his huge paws. Then he opened his massive jaws… but, instead of the bellow that I expected, he let out a loud ringing sound…..brrrrrinnnng!!!!
It was then that I came out of my daydream! I found myself, sitting in class at school, at my desk, with my pen lying beside me, and my final Geography exam paper lying next to it, only half written!! It was the question about the Arctic and Eskimos in it that had started me off on my daydream. The loud bell that I heard was the signal that the time for completing the paper was over. I looked in dismay at the teacher moving from row to row, collecting the answer scripts. I remember feverishly scribbling something in an attempt to try and complete at least one more question. That attempt was in vain as whatever I wrote was totally illegible!
Throughout my childhood, I have been constantly entertained by my imagination… I would retreat into it at the oddest times and the oddest places. My mother continuously got complaints from my teachers that I was “never there in class.” I remember one of my teachers stopping her lecture quite frequently and saying in a very weary voice, “… and now, can we ask Roshni to please come back from her fairytale world to this one?!” But, I did not give it up, as it was my safe haven to go to when I wanted.
As I grew older and started taking a little interest in the world around me, I wondered if other kids and grownups also daydreamed like I had. To my surprise, I really did not find much evidence of it in people around me. Maybe they were too busy taking in all that was around them to retreat into themselves. Maybe they never felt the need to do so! It was all very strange to me!
Imagine my delight then when I came across this comic strip for the first time: Calvin and Hobbes! For those of you who are not familiar with it, it’s about this 5-year-old boy who has a stuffed toy tiger named Hobbes. To Calvin, Hobbes is real; Hobbes is his only playmate and someone whom he can really talk to. Calvin also spends most of his time in class daydreaming, much to the dismay of his teachers. I dreamt of having a boy just like Calvin!
I hardly daydream nowadays! I guess somewhere in the middle of trying to interact with people, going to new places, and taking care of my own family, I gave up my friend, my imagination. I gave it up to get to know my own boys and to make new friends, and I am not sorry. I am happy to have done so, as it had taught me a lot and I was ready to move on. But I am also happy to have my friend to go back to whenever I want.
That’s when I started wondering about kids nowadays. Do they have their imagination? Do they dream? Do they get transported to wonderful new worlds where anything is possible? …where there are lush green meadows or icy slopes to roll down on… strange animals to frolic with… wonderful, bizarre sights to feast your eyes on? Or, like Calvin imagines, dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts roaming the cities, devouring all your enemies! Zooming into outer space in your space shuttle; the superhero of the earth! Do other kids dream like that?
I’m not sure. And, the reason is this. Calvin and I had this in common that we did not like socializing. We were extremely unsocial and so; no one really would come and try to play with us. As a result, we were pretty much left to entertain ourselves. So, we were left for our books and our ‘real friends’ to come to our rescue. Calvin’s tiger and my imagination would come to life and we would be off on our latest adventure! Where do kids have time to feel bored nowadays? They have school, homework, friends, emails, the Internet, Nintendo DSs, iPads, sports, piano classes etc etc! When can they ever stop, sit and just stare into space like Calvin and I did?
I’m not saying it’s a good thing necessarily to do that. I definitely don’t want any kid to go through the trial of the geography exam! But I wish we had more time to introspect nowadays! John McGrail, a clinical hypnotherapist in Los Angeles says “Daydreaming is looked upon negatively because it represents ‘non-doing’ in a society that emphasizes productivity. We are under constant pressure to do, achieve, produce, succeed.”
But daydreaming can be beneficial in many ways and, ironically, can actually boost productivity. All Calvin’s philosophical speculations with Hobbes are a result of his daydreaming… thinking of the abstract; thinking beyond the mundane. As a result, he comes up with the most bizarre, creative ideas. These often are too bizarre for people around him, but that’s another story!
I think I learnt a lot about myself and learnt finally to like myself before I started liking other people; and I really feel that helped me interact with other people too in the process. I don’t know whether people nowadays do that. Just a few days back, I heard in a news report that today’s youth have problems with face-to-face communication because they are always using social media to communicate.
So, finally, it makes me wonder…. What do today’s youngsters dream about? Do they dream about being Superman or do they dream about becoming rich? Do they dream at all? Are they so grounded in reality that they can never indulge in flights of fantasy? Are they so very aware of their surroundings and the world around them that nothing is left to the imagination?
Is childhood’s innocence finally lost?
Image courtesy: bookriot.com
Lovely post, Roshni. Given the furious pace of change, daydreams might be all that is left to the children of today. I do know for a fact that till their early teens, most kids have a rich fantasy world, regardless of how studiously we work at depriving them of their child’s world (sending them off to tutorials, making them sit properly and say thank you to Kumkumpishi). Studies have shown that the onset of adolescence is closely tied with the extinction of certain hormonal functions. These are the same changes that makes you appreciate films like Matrix and Avatar for their special effects while being untouched by their real message, I am told. Whether this is true or not, I will let you know once I get there.
Thanks, Subhorup! I remember having a rich fantasy world because of the tedium of tutorials, sitting properly and saying thank you to Kumkum pishi!! 😀
I had a recent interaction with a 6 year old about what he dreams of. The lad wanted to be a Ninja. He was enrolled in Karate classes and showed me his Ninja antics. It is another story that I pulled his leg midair and made him fall. *evil grin*.
Yes, Kids do dream but it is widely derived from their surrounding – What kind of cartoons they watch, the stories they hear and the movies they see.
I would like to believe that the innocence is not completely lost if we expose them to scenarios apt for their age. Hence asking your daughter to dance to Sheila Ki Jawani is definitely a bad idea.
I definitely agree!! I would parents would let kids be kids!! My younger son dreams of being a superhero, like Batman, when he grows up. So far, he has only watched cartoon versions of the same..this would not be true if, for instance, he watches some violence-packed action movie.
Interesting topic. Your article reminded me of one more example from Peter Pan – when Peter Pan tells Wendy a fairy dies every time you say you don’t believe in fairies. I have not had much interactions with children. But I never grew out of my imaginations. So I protest when people say see how much a child imagines unlike you and me, I correct them – unlike you, I say. I still very much live in my imaginary world. And now I get to express my imaginary world on my blog as well.
Some people have the good fortune of retaining their child-like imaginations!! It is our luck if we can do that! 🙂
What a post! congratulations Roshni. I completely identify with your escapades to your dreamlands. I have been a day dreamer and still am. I sure present generation also enjoys day dreaming though the premises has undergone a sea change! But they do fantasize flying to disneyland with a Samsung Tab or a Sony DSLR!
LOL!! Thank you so much, Meenakshi!
Thank you so much, Rachna, for hosting me on your blog and for the wonderful introduction!!
The pleasure is mine, Roshni! Thank you so much for doing it for me.
Roshni,
Unless we dream, daydreams more so, how can we set goals to achieve? But times change everything. So what youngsters dream today, may be totally different from what we did. They are more tech-savvy and intelligent. We have to pay a price for such progress, isn’t it?
Take care
Rachna,
Thanks for introducing her. I will visit her a s a p. Take care
Yes, you are right! What I wanted to express was that nowadays our dreams are based more on reality than fantasy! Thank you so much for your kind words!
hmhm…. yeah, day dreaming is often quoted in a negative aspect. But then, I think that all flights of fantasies are pretty much a self expression of what we want from our reality. I think that imagination has no substitute. Originality has no other alternative.
Was quite a read. Cheers.
Well said!
You’re right on — daydreaming is SO important to a child’s development. As is boredom; kids rarely have a chance to bored between being over scheduled and computers. I struggle with this issue constantly with my boys. I wonder how they would be developping if they grew up when I did, when there were no computers and we were largley left to our own resources for entertainment.
So true, Sandy! That is exactly something that I struggle with too. I definitely do not sign them up for multiple classes and try to restrict their screen time! Earlier they used to complain of being bored, as a result! Nowadays, the complaints are less and they spend a lot of time building things with Legos etc, so my hope is that some part of their creativity is being stimulated as a result!
Well, I can definitely say that a lovely post like this can only come from a person who still has a vivid imagination! Perhaps this essay will inspire some of the younger readers of this blog to hold on to their childhood, and the freedom to dream, for as long as possible even after ‘life’ starts taking things over!
Oh, thank you so much!! That is such a wonderful compliment!!
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I somehow have not knows calvin that much, I have hardly read any , albeit some jokes sent in emails etc..
Kids these days well not sure about it as I do feel that they lack imagination, when i was a kid I saw a old tyre laying on floor and I had so many exciting thoughts what i could do ..
of I saw any other old thing not used out there..
I still day dream and have been caught sometimes talking ot myself and Standing excited with my fists pumping the air 🙂 yesssssssssssss he he he
a lovely article
Bikram’s
Thank you! I am glad that a lot of us have retained our imaginations!!
I think kids’ innocence is always there. Only that we are so busy ourselves trying to meet ends and deadlines, targets, we just don’t realise or get the time to understand and talk to them about their fantasies. While reading your post, I was trying to recollect what kind of fantasies I had. I was/am a social butterfly all the time. So, it was like on the go for me every moment. But while reading library books, I remember I used to get lost in some books where they had a picturesque of lakes, flowers, tiny homes and later stages imagined myself as one of the kids in the secret seven, famous five series..Lol..sounds funny now. Now, when I see my son, he is all the time fighting by himself making dishoom dishoom sounds and when he gets the mood to draw pics, it is all action figures..while sleeping, he doesn’t sleep right away. He looks at the ceiling and thinks and then sleeps..Thank you Rachna for having Roshni’s post and thank you Roshni..:)
Most welcome! You are right…my sons too pretend that they are superheroes all the time! I guess what I hope for is that parents give their child unsupervised time to explore their own imaginary worlds!
Thank you Latha :).
Dr. McGrail is right; we really are under constant pressure to be productive all the time. 🙁
Thank you for taking us to the world of your day dreams. It was fascinating.
Rachna, Roshni Happy Diwali to both you lovely ladies.
Thank you and Diwali to you too, D.!
ugh!! I meant *Happy* Diwali!!
Thanks a bunch, Divya! Hope your Diwali was fun too.
I sometimes feel that kids these days are too rooted in reality and this is partly because parents feel that they should not ‘fool’ children about mythical beasts and characters and should tell them things as it is. But I am glad to say that my granddaughter has a full-fledged pretend life, where she has a friend who has a younger brother and she accommodates both in her real life. In her pursuit, she is amply aided by her mother! But you are right, kids are so busy these days that they have literally no time to dream!
Imagination and day dreaming have been the reason why so many discoveries have been made in the world and so many creative works have been produced. Dream on Roshni, so we may get more such wonderful pieces.
Thank you so much, Zephyr!
You need a vivid imagination to go to the Artic and say hello to the Eskimos in the middle of your Geography exams!
Why did you leave that girl behind?
And I have dealt with similar complaints regarding my daughter. Believe me, I didn’t freak out even once! In fact, I felt proud of her.
hahhaha!! Thanks! But, if I kept myself in my imaginary world, I would have lost my kids several times over! I do spend time introspecting, so I haven’t given up on her completely, but I realize that I do not have the luxury of being in my own world all the time any more! 🙂
Nice post Rosh. And I must say you had a potent imagination.. 🙂
I think kids still dream today , may be not that vividly but then it is our job to let them keep dreaming.
True, Jas!! It landed me in a lot of trouble in my childhood, believe me!! I never used to remember which day it was and once I even got lost in an international airport because I was literally daydreaming and I walked off when my mom’s back was turned!!
Roshni, Such a sweet post, I enjoyed it! I was a dreamer too though my dreams became worse in college. Some profs could have that “drowse-worthy” effect on me making me escape the torture by fleeing to the world of fantasies. I see this in my younger son. He is a dreamer and loves to conjure stories at the drop of a hat. He is also a sharp observer. I think this is the beauty of childhood. And creativity can only be nurtured if we allow our imagination to take wings. A lovely post, thank you so much!
Thank you, Rachna for giving me the opportunity to present this aspect of me that I always wistfully recall! 🙂
Interesting post Roshni… Calvin has always been my most favourite of all times simply because of his creativity!! 🙂
I agree with what you have said as I see my younger cousins growing up and for them day dreaming is something like a waste of time. They do imagine but no as much as we used .
Thank you! I guess it is also the fond memories (not withstanding the ordeal of the Geography exams!) that makes me wish that all youngsters could have similar fantasy worlds! 🙂
I must confess that I still day dream a lot, Roshni, although there was a time I allowed life to get in the way. My brothers (older) had wonderful imaginary friends and vehicles. They seemed so real to them, that my parents and I were swept away by their descriptions.
No wonder then that one of my favorite poems is Leisure – What life is this so full of care, we have no time to stop and stare……
Great post. Daydreaming must be made a compulsory activity!
Thanks, Corinne! I should read that poem then!
Lovely post, Roshni:) Could feel the snowflakes and imagine the grrrr of polar bear reading your post. So how much did you score in that geography exam? Never mind! Personally a great day dreamer, i love drooling over imaginary icecreams ad chocolates at the worst times- when the sermon goes on in the church:P True, little ones these days are so driven that they lose the fun of day dreaming:(
ha! Just about 50% I left out 25 marks worth of very simple answers so it majorly sucked! I can understand the need to daydream when you are sitting at a lecture! As someone mentioned in the comments, college lectures are an ideal time to let yourself go! 😀
I just passed!! 😛
Such a wonderful post 🙂 Calvin and Hobbes is one of my favorite cartoon strips, the humour aside, one of the reasons could be the similarity as you have pointed out. Being an introvert, I loved living in my own world and then taking things to a different level from where they already were! Kids today, to me many of them look lost in their own worlds. Many times I myself am left wondering what they are actually thinking? Or are they just blank? You have raised some really interesting questions in your article, Roshni. 🙂
Thank you, Arti! As long as youngsters are not sitting in front of a screen, I’m sure that their minds are not blank!! 🙂
Roshni,
This is a great post! I am with you on this Roshni. I used to day dream too. A lot about temples and dancers and about Maharabharata 🙂 I dunno why though 🙂
A half written geography paper, that scared me. I dont have kids of my own, but a lot in the neighbourhood, and one thing I can vouch for is, that they are way smater than waht I was at that age. I would give that to Evolution and not to the lack of my intelligence at that age. But yeah wonder question.. what do they wonder about 🙂
I didnot read much of Calvin and Hobbes when I was younger, but I do. I get the similarity 🙂
Rachna, sorry have been away and hence a back log on the posts. Hope to be around and regular now.
Thanks so much for commenting, Jenny! Your daydreams about temples, dances and the Mahabharata seems very intriguing! Wonder if you ever thought about a post on those lines! 🙂
Dreams..day dreams.One must dream big and why not?
Very true, Chowla ji!
Roshni, You have raised a very important issue! Day dreaming is a mental workout and it allows the brain to juggle multiple thoughts simultaneously.Even today, my mind wanders… It feels great indulging in an entirely new setting—may be, this restlessness inspires a writer/poet to write something creative…
I am a fan of Calvin and Hobbes…:))
Great article. Thanks Rachna for sharing this!!!
Thank you, Panchali di! For me, it is more like drifting in and out of one world into another! It definitely makes it more interesting! 😀
A very sweet Diwali post and what is life without daydreams? The dreams are the roadmaps on which we build our lives and the more we dream the happier paths can be chosen:) Thanks Rachna and Roshni for this lovely write up and Happy Diwali:)
Thank you, Rahul ji. That is a beautiful sentiment indeed! Wishing you a belated Happy Diwali!
Rachna, i was a big dreamer, I still am secretly ;). But I see your point, theres no void today as kids are so busy, and their minds are full, but then theres something special about dreaming dont ya feel? If i can see my 3 yr old hopping from board gams, to computer, to ipad, to books, to school, to friends, I can only imagine about older kids!
But i incorporate a lot of art and crafts, that gets her thinking if not dreaming on what doodle she is going to be doing next 🙂
Awesome post!
Thanks, Poonam! Glad you try to draw out her creative side!
A wonderful post, Roshni!
Today’s kids daydream too about what they see around them, and mostly it is influenced by the cartoons that they watch on TV. Scientific studies show that daydreaming should be encouraged in children as these kids actually have sharper brains! 🙂
Right you are, Shilpa! Hopefully, kids of today can get a ‘break’ once in a while!
I thought I left a comment here…Didnt I? Lovely post Roshni. All training programs for kids talk about developing their imagination and what else is day dreaming? I can almost here my 2nd std class teacher ‘Jayashree, Stop Dreaming.Get back in here’ 😀
hahhaha!! We may have had our teachers in the same frustrated cycle, Jayashree!!
Lovely post Roshni! Who doesnt like Calvin and Hobbes.. and their antics and any comic strip you take are so amazingly insightful of the human nature ! I read a lot of C&H when I was expecting and I think my son has inherited a lot of his characteristics big time 🙂
Thank you! Here’s to hoping that he’ll be the next big dreamer! 🙂
Wonderful post, Roshni. I am an avid day-and-night-dreamer too and as you mentioned, it can be great company. And Calvin and Hobbes is so full of sparkling wit! I often wonder what a real little boy like Calvin would become when he grows up. Would he be chided by his parents for his unconventional thinking or would someone encourage his witty yet contemplative ways? I don’t know if kids these days play imaginary games and go off on day-dream flights, but I would definitely want my kids to be that way, when I have my own. 🙂
Thanks, Rachna. 🙂
Thanks, Destiny’s child! Yes, I too have wondered about Calvin’s future! I’m pretty sure he would become a scientist (poor thing!) He does get constantly chided by his parents, Suzy, teacher and the principal for not being mentally in class or for ‘goofing around’! Obviously, since he tells no one about his daydreams and fantasies, he doesn’t get appreciated!!
That was such a lovely post, Roshni!
I hope today’s kids never loose their innocence for the world and they never stop daydreaming or giving wings to their imaginations!
Thank you very much, Deeps! I hope so too!
Yes, daydreaming inspires creativity! Thanks for sharing, Roshini and Rachna! I just wrote on this topic too! http://www.gettingliter.com/2013/04/dreams-to-reality.html
Thanks so much, Michelle! I loved your post!
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