by Tara Sharma

Fascinated…watching Zen out of the corner of my eye as I write this. He is absorbed in a wonderful imaginary game where he is at times imitating his teacher, at times singing nursery rhymes and at times just chatting to himself. Wow, the power and wonder of imagination! And I am not disturbing him! Parents out there, or anyone who is around a child for that matter, will appreciate the preciousness of uninterrupted me time!

I do not want to speak too soon, as often a few minutes into me being absorbed in something and one of the kids demand my attention. Often in the most sweet, honest way, like to ask a genuine question like, ‘Mummy why is the sky blue?’ (Google helps on such occasions haaha) but sometimes in an aggressive ‘tantrummy’ way. Both ‘calls for my complete attention’ are hard to ignore, and as a Mum, they shouldn’t be ignored, (or should they? Any advice?) so most often working with the kids around is full of ‘baby breaks’!

So this imaginary game that is holding Zen’s interest and allowing me to blog and do other things, is certainly appreciated and warrants a blog post! Don’t get me wrong, of course I adore spending time with our kids more than anything in the world. And answering their queries and playing with them, is fantabulous, but as I mentioned, finding a minute to do something else, can be difficult. (Kai btw also demands baby breaks and being 1, those are more baby baby, if you know what I mean! – cries, falls, laughs, the works!)

This brings me back to imagination. Yes in today’s day and age we have a gazilllion gadgets and toys. And yes one is grateful for them and most of them have educational and developmental benefits, which are great, however nothing in my opinion competes with one’s own imagination. Toys can be tools in the process and enhance imagination and learning, but the worlds our imaginations can take us into are beyond anything material things can do.

I have vivid memories of playing teacher-teacher and house-house as a kid. I had 3 imaginary dolls that were my kids and I dropped and fetched them from school and read to them and chatted with them, all in my head. And no I wasn’t coo coo (or I hope not haaha)! Now Roopak admits, he too had imaginary friends, and even insisted that his Mum set places for them at the dining table! Ok, haaha, there comes an age and stage when we can’t let this imagination run too wild, but none the less, the stories it allows us to live shape us, I am convinced. Often I think, wow, touch wood, I am living the game I used to play at age 3 or 4 (not sure when sorry:)!) I have the kids and husband now that I imagined! Not exactly of course haaha but the seed was there right in my mummy-mummy games!

I am the daughter of authors. Daddy, Partap Sharma, who has written several very successful books and plays, many for children, like ‘Dog Detective Ranjha’, ‘Top Dog’, ‘The Surangini Tales’, and Mum, who is writing a novel now. So yes maybe I was brought up by parents who strongly encouraged imagination and created worlds in their books. So maybe I am a little overly ‘imagination- encouraging’. And as always I say, each to their own and I am no expert, but just watching Zen now and even little Kai, who is only 1, playing with their toys, mumbling their imaginings and often transported into worlds way beyond our reality…I am reminded that yes we must teach our kids and guide them, but also we must encourage their intrinsic gift of imagination!

http://tarasharmashow.com/post/34895693656/imagination-and-our-kids

Tara Sharma is an actress who also hosts the Tara Sharma Show where she shares her incredible journey of life bringing up her babies.