Mom2Mentor
Encouraging and motivating single mothers, reminding them of their strength and determination. They can succeed as a single parent as long as they remain focused.
Its not about how you arrived at the single mom title, but, its what you do with it!
Mom2Mentor
Beyond Nurturing: How Creative Thinking Prepares Children for Their Future
We're planting character seeds in our children, and today's focus is on creativity and problem-solving skills that will help them navigate life's inevitable challenges.
• Children need creative problem-solving skills to handle obstacles in relationships, careers, and life
• Creativity is about thinking outside the box when resolving issues
• What works for one person may not work for another—great minds think for themselves
• For ages 3-6, offer coloring books or sketch pads to foster creative thinking
• For older children, present more complex problems to solve
• The utensil-between-stove-and-cabinet example shows how we approach challenges
• Giving up on small problems teaches children to abandon larger challenges
• Creative thinking helps identify not just solutions but also root causes of problems
• Make creativity exercises a regular family activity to build critical thinking skills
• As mentors to our children, we must model creative problem-solving ourselves
Our call to action today is to assign a creativity project based on your child's age. Make it a family event and do it regularly—once a week or once a month—to plant the seed of creative thinking that will serve them throughout their lives.
https://singlemomsunitedpodcast.com/
It's not how you arrived at the title, but what you do with it.
Hey ladies, welcome to the Mom2Mentor podcast. If this is your first time joining, welcome If you are a repeat listener. Thank you, thank you. Thank you for your loyalty. Hey, I'm going to get right to it.
Speaker 1:Today I'm still planting character seeds and if you've heard prior episodes, you understand the background of what I'm trying to do when it comes to parenting, because we're more than just moms. We are mentors. We are examples to our children of who they can look up to and model themselves after, and we have to make every effort to display positive behavior in front of our children because they're absorbing it. It's seeping into their pores of what they see, because they're visual. We can tell them from sun up to sun down about how to behave, but unless they actually see it, it's going to always be a challenge for us. So this podcast is designed to encourage you, mom, and to reinforce what it means to be a mentor. I realize others don't have people that they can look up to or title them as mentors. Right, there are people that have influence over their life, but really to make a difference, you have to put on that title that this is my mentor, this is someone I want to be like. And if you don't have anyone in your life, then I challenge you to take on this podcast and I'll be your mentor. How about that? What do you think? Moms, I've been through so much through my life raising my children and some of the challenges I experienced with them. Of the challenges I experienced with them, I'm going to try to head it off for you and tell you like this is some of the things that you're going to go through and this is how you get through them, because nobody told me when I was raising my children 30 years ago. So hopefully you find some value in this podcast and if you do tell another mom, please tell another mom. You don't know what a person is going through and you don't have to know. But if you say, you know what, I've heard this great podcast called Mom to Mentor and she's talking about how we can cultivate and build self-esteem into our children and you should listen to it. All right. So what am I talking about today? I'm so glad you asked me. I'm still planting the character garden and if you heard my other episodes, you heard me talk about honesty, respect and a few others that, oh, in compassion and why our children need this as they navigate life. Yeah, these are character traits they're going to need. We have to plant the seed. Then we have to cultivate the seed, in other words, water it, feed it. So we, as moms or parents, have to display that behavior in front of our children. So what seed am I planting today? I'm glad you asked me.
Speaker 1:We're going to talk about creativity and what it means to be creative and why we need it. Yeah, our children, your children, they're going to face many of life's challenges. So how do you plan on addressing them? Many people give up because they lack a creative mindset. Yeah, give up.
Speaker 1:And later on, through this podcast, I'm going to give you some examples of how to introduce creativity to your children or your child, and I'm going to give you a couple of examples. So I hope you accept the challenge. It's going to benefit them in the long run as well as you. Then they'll have to come back and say mom, what about this? Or I'm going through that and this. If we start now, it's going to have an impact later. So our children can be prepared. For example, if it's raining outside or they're calling for rain, you're not going to send your child out without some type of raincoat, umbrella, boots or whatever. You're going to prepare them for that. This is the same concept. You're preparing them for life, ladies. With that, we got to understand what are some of the seeds that they're going to need and enable them to navigate through this life.
Speaker 1:So creativity is just having the ability to think outside of the box when it comes to resolving issues. And there are going to be many issues, and the list goes on and on, as you know, because at this point in life, you probably already experienced quite a few yourself, even when you were a child. So every child, including you, should have problem-solving skills. There aren't clear directions or a specific answer related to that. Life challenges require us to be creative and resolving issues. Our mindset has to reflect a purpose of resolution.
Speaker 1:Children need to be able to express original ideas and, again, think outside of the box. Teach conflict resolution and that it's not a one-size-fits-all. What do I mean by that? Just because one thing works for one person doesn't mean it works for you. Once upon a time, back in the day, when I used to watch cartoons on Saturdays, there was this commercial that says great minds think alike. And then they came back and say no, great minds think for themselves. That's where our child, your child or your children, need to be in order to navigate this life. Because, again, what works for one person may not work for them. So you have to encourage them to think outside of the box.
Speaker 1:Now, again, why do we need this? Because they're going to experience challenges and they're going to need to know how to navigate through those challenges with creative problem-solving skills, how to navigate through those challenges with creative problem-solving skills, and some of that will be applied to relationships that they're going to be involved with their careers or their jobs that they're going to go to. Because, again, creativity is also reflecting a responsibility means you're going to own it and I'm going to resolve this issue. Responsibility means you're going to own it and I'm going to resolve this issue. So how do we get there? So the easiest way give them a problem to solve, right. So, from the ages of three to six, and trying to invite that creativity is, give them a coloring book or a sketch pad and let them go to town, and you may be surprised with what they come up with. Yeah, isn't that exciting to know that? You give them some colors and they put it on a piece of paper and you can give them a coloring book and tell them the color in between the lines and see what they come up with, and then your child just may color outside the lines and that may tell you something as well. But it's inviting that creative mindset that is required, not an option. It's required to do this as they enter into this world. Now, seven and above, you want to give them something a little more complex to solve.
Speaker 1:Now I was thinking here's something you can think about as far as creative skills. You know that space between your cabinet and your stove or your refrigerator. There's always this little gap there. What would happen if you dropped a utensil in between that gap? A spoon, a fork, a knife? You drop something in between there and you have to figure out how to get it out. Now that's really going to start the creative thought process of how to get that utensil from in between that small space.
Speaker 1:Now someone and even maybe you say you know what it's gone. It's what it's gone, it's done, it's over. So I'm just going to leave it there and I'm just going to get me another utensil and we're going to call it a day and if the stove happens to go out and we have to replace it, then I'll get the utensil, but right now it's not a priority. Okay, that's fine, that's all well and good, but here's what you need to think about, mom. Now, if you leave that utensil in between there and you say I'm just going to get another utensil, that's almost how you're going to navigate relationships, your job, your career, anything that you start, and you experience a bump in the road or a detour, you're going to say you know what, I'm just going to move on to the next one. I'm just going to move on to the next job. I'm going to move on to the next relationship because I'm not going to try to resolve or figure out what happened with this one. And that's where we get into trouble. That's where we get into trouble, that's where we continue that same cycle and we never get resolution, because we don't stop to think about oh my goodness, how can I resolve this issue? And it needs to be resolved, especially if it's a relationship, right?
Speaker 1:So back to the utensil in between the cabinet and the stove. So you know a couple of options that I would think of just from my own creative mindset. I would try to find something thin enough to get in between there to try to drag it out. Yep, pull out my flashlight on my phone, look in there, see where it may be at and try to get it out. Yeah, yeah, now I have a fly swatter in my house so it's pretty thin, so I'm thinking it could probably fit in between there to get this item. Or, you know, if you have a small broom or a Swiffer or anything like that, you know a wire coat hanger, you can use many things to try to get that utensil from in between the cabinet and the stove.
Speaker 1:That's the kind of mindset you want to incorporate in your child when it comes to critical thinking, because otherwise, when we say you know what, I'm not going to be bothered with that, I'll just get another, you're giving up. You're giving up, and that's what we do not want. We do not want our children to give up. We want to keep them motivated, we want to keep them encouraged. Keep trying, don't give up. And if you don't get it right the first time, but by golly go to sleep, get up the next day and try it again. Because that's how I solve many of my issues is because sometimes you can't resolve issues immediately. You have to sleep on it. And then the next day it's like oh, I didn't even think about doing it this way yesterday. And guess what? Boom, boom, boom. Now I got my utensil back because I chose not to give up.
Speaker 1:So a creative mindset, a problem solving skills, that's what is needed as you're cultivating your child. Now, here's the good news. Now, I just gave you an example, and of course that one's a little more difficult, which it's designed to be. But create your own mom and execute on it. And if you can't create your own, by golly, there is artificial intelligence coming to the rescue. Yeah, give me a good problem solving skill or issue and I need it for in the age of your child, and maybe even for you.
Speaker 1:And why not just do it together? That's how you're going to cultivate this creative mindset or this problem solving mindset. Because, again, once your kids see you're interacting, they're like oh wow, look at mom, go, look at her go. And then, while they're encouraging you, you encouraging them and explaining to them why you're doing this exercise, because they're going to encounter issues as they navigate through life. They're going to encounter disappointments. How do you overcome those disappointments? What's the formula right? And you think outside of the box. How did you get here? Right? What happened there?
Speaker 1:And going back to my example of the utensil falling between the stove and the counter right, how did I get there? Because I didn't have anything to shore up that open space to not allow these utensils or other items to fall in between the cabinet and the stove. So what's my lesson? So I'm going to go on Amazon and find a gap protector for the stove and the cabinet and I'm going to put it in there so I don't have to repeat this process. So not only are you becoming creative in getting the utensil out, but you're also understanding how you got there in the first place, so you don't replicate it.
Speaker 1:That's what creativity is all about, at least for this episode, in my definition, because it's going to impact your child's life as they navigate and try to understand some things, these challenges that are going to come before them. They got to get in position, they have to be in position, they have to be prepared to take on these challenges and not give up. And not give up, all right, ladies, as you can see, I've been very passionate about this one. And why have I been so passionate? It's because it bothers me to see kids wanting to give up. Because it bothers me to see kids wanting to give up. It bothers me to hear them say you know what? I can't do this. And really they can. They just need to be encouraged and motivated and prepared. And so that's you, mom, as a mentor. You're a teacher, you're an educator, you're just not a nurturer.
Speaker 1:So creativity is not only linked to problem solving, but just how things are viewed in general. Some say the glass is half full and some say it's half empty. I think, let's stress, because we always look for solutions while others are satisfied with how things are, meaning Leaving the spoon in between the cabinet and the stove, just giving up. I'm just going to move on. And in life it's not always going to be appropriate to move on because you haven't learned why it got in there in the beginning. And how do you shore that up going forward? Because if you don't put something in between there to catch items, yeah, you're just going to repeat the same process. Yeah, you're going to repeat the same process. Yeah, you're going to repeat the same process, all right.
Speaker 1:So our call to action, or the call to action today, is assign a creativity project based on age. Yeah, or you can just use your imagination, mom, make it a family time, make it a family event. And you know, and I would recommend not having a one and done, you know, maybe do it regularly, maybe once a month, once a week, whatever you feel comfortable with. Because you know, when I started school once upon a time, way back when, you know, we did color and make stuff and we had to have scissors and glue and all of that, and I didn't understand it back then. But what was happening is a seed was getting planted on how to be creative. Yeah, so in my early years in school, that's what the seed that was getting planted is.
Speaker 1:You can be creative and you should be creative when it comes to things, and so let's not wait for them to get in the school for the teachers to teach them about creativity. Let's start now to teach them about creativity. Let's start now, and especially as your child gets older, then absolutely the creativity option should become a little more difficult, because that's life. Yeah, ask me how I know. Ask me how I know they're gonna get an unexpected bill and they're not gonna have the money to pay that bill. So what do you do? Do you go get extra hours at work, what do you do? Do you find a side hustle? Or do you just say, hey, I just let the folks keep calling me because I can't pay my bill. What is that going to solve, other than them keep calling you and you wanting to block them because you haven't paid your bill? But creativity says listen, let me work with y'all and I'm going to go out and see how I can get an extra job or some more money to come in. That's that creative mindset that they're going to need, right, and maybe even you, mom, you're going to. You're faced with problems. Are you just saying, oh well, are you trying to solve it and then understand how you got there in the first place? And my bet, when it comes to bills and not getting paid, we probably spent that money on our wants versus our needs, knowing and I'm talking to myself here knowing you didn't need that, but you went out and got it anyway. And now here comes this bill. Uh-oh, that money I spent over here I could have used over there.
Speaker 1:So again, ladies, this is all about planting character seeds with your children and cultivating those seeds, and I hope this episode gave you an overview of how to do that. Why is that important? And that's what you have to ask yourself. Why is this important? Because your child or your children are going to face these obstacles in life, yeah, and they have to know how to be able to solve and figure out how to get out of that situation. But they first have to know how they got into the situation. So that's the wing to wing piece of it. You have your beginning, middle and end right. So the beginning is the how'd you get here? Or why are you here? Then how do you get out of it? Right. And then at the end, you're going to be able to say, well, it's a done deal, it's resolved and that's where you want to go. And so I gave you the formula of how to get there, ladies. Now all you have to do is embrace it and execute All right.
Speaker 1:So I have some wonderful news as I finish up today's episode. I mentioned before I'm getting ready to take this podcast, the Mom to Mentor podcast, to another level, and the good news is the good news is I'm going to start having people come on my show and share how they're teaching their children or how they're being a mentor to their child, and I want to hear those examples, but before I can do that, I have to really understand what that process, or the interview process, looks like. So I am. I've already done one interview with Curveball Living the Dream with Curtis Jackson, and that will air when the next week or so, so you'll get to hear me on that if you so desire. And then I have another interview coming up at the end of the month with Tell Me Something Good, and I'm nervous, as I was the other interview.
Speaker 1:But this is how I'm going to learn to bring this to you all and to step up my game so that this can be a more interactive podcast, as it relates to being more than a mom but a mentor. So look out for those podcasts and if you are in my group in Facebook, I will put the information there, the links there and so forth, and I may also put it on my website, which is currently singlemomsunitedpodcastcom, and that's where you can go, if you're interested in being on the show, to fill out the form to complete that, and then, once I get everything up and running, I'll reach out to you and invite you to be a guest on the show. Okay, but you have to be very specific as it relates to what you're teaching your child or your children Would love to hear that process and share it with other moms. All right, ladies, I think that's it for the day. I think that's it for the day.
Speaker 1:If you enjoyed this episode, you know, tell another mom you don't know what they're going through and leave me some feedback. I would love to hear from you. I have a survey on my website, singlemomsunitedpodcastcom, and, by the way, I am in the process of updating my long URL to momtomentor. It's just taking a little longer, but I am going to update that. But I would love to hear from you and if you say you know what I don't have time to write all or type all of that URL and then go to my YouTube page, momtomentor, and leave me some feedback there. I would love to hear from you. Thank you so much. Have a great day and we'll talk with you soon.
