Seminar says parents often stifle the creativity of children

JAKARTA (JP): The people most to blame for stifling children's creativity are parents who mistakenly perceive it to be unruliness.

That is the opinion of State Minister of Population/Chairman of the Family Planning Coordinating Board Haryono Suyono, given in a discussion during a seminar on children's creativity on Saturday.

Parents are eager to see their children be creative but unfortunately they are ignorant of how to help their kids develop their intellect properly, he said.

Few parents know that children need to express their intellectual capability without feeling psychologically obstructed by people around them.

Many parents will readily punish their kids for making mistakes instead of encouraging them to try again and teaching them to be responsible for anything they (the kids) do.

"If children felt unaccepted within the family... they will develop an inferiority complex and children who feel inferior cannot develop creative instincts," Haryono said.

The one-day seminar, titled Stimulating Children's Creativity, was organized by the Nadhlatul Ulama Moslem organization and the Indonesian Association of Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI).

Opened by Hasri Ainun Habibie, chairwoman of ICMI's advisory board, the seminar was attended by about 250 people.

Haryono said parents unfamiliar with signs of creativity are impatient with their kids' "strange" behavior, such as tearing their toys apart and scribbling on walls.

"Don't punish the children, but tell them to be more careful (with their toys) and responsible for what they do," Haryono said.

Other speakers were S.C. Utami Munandar, a psychology professor at the University of Indonesia School of Psychology and Malik Fadjar, the Ministry of Religious Affairs' Director General of Islamic Institutions Development.

S.C. Utami Munandar pointed out that children's creativity is unique in that it is different in each and every child.

Basically, all children show creativity in different ways, such as exploring the environment, asking many questions, expressing curiosity, experimenting, and never getting bored, she said.

In addition, she said, creative children have a strong imagination.

Parents, she said, should give their children the freedom to develop their imagination. "However, many parents think that children waste their time imagining... it's not useful and not good. In fact, imagination develops a child's creativity," Utami said.

Parents and teachers who feel they always know better than the pupils make it difficult for children to develop their creativity, she said.

"The parents' and teachers' attitude determines a child's creativity," Utami said, adding that parents and teachers should always give compliments and encouragement.

If children make mistakes or fail, urge them to try again, she said. "By supporting children to try again after failure, they will gain experience and learn more."

She suggested that parents develop a good rapport with their children, answering their questions and being willing to accommodate their ideas. "It helps children to reveal their thoughts and feelings," Utami said. (31)