The right to self-expression

Animation from Chile

The other day, I was watching this movie with Drew Barrymore in it. It’s called “Riding in Cars with Boys” and is basically about a young mom raising her kid and the sacrifices she had to make along the way. One of the scenes involved the 7 year old son who was celebrating his birthday. Drew Barrymore’s character gives him a birthday card with a detailed “plan for his life”. The kid, of course, thinks she is out of her mind.

How does this tie in to self-expression? Well, I’d like to speak from the point of view of a former teacher, someone who was able to observe parent-child interaction quite a bit. I have to say that many times, we grown ups have ideas about what our children should be into. We plug them into activities, make them do stuff to discover new things, and all these are good of course. But I’ve also seen children really excited to participate in art and music activities where they are able to let their personalities shine through and then they are told that they are just being “malikot”.

I’d like to propose that although sometimes, children really are just acting up or being too hyper for other reasons (might need attention, might be bored, might be anxious,e tc). But they do need space and time to express themselves and be who they are without anyone impeding on them. Each one of us is different, and must be able to express that outwardly. If it weren’t important, then perhaps the right to self-expression wouldn’t be in the list of children’s rights. What do you think?

Of course, tattoos, earrings and other means of “self-expression”  are another matter. Sorry kids, there are some things you’re gonna have to talk over with your folks. Or at least, be brave enough to broach the topic with them.

What can you do today? Well, depending on how old the child is, you can definitely start with whatever is in your reach - expression can come out through words, music, dance, song, even in the kitchen. I remember creating doodles with ketchup and mustard. Not necessarily a waste of food, I think.

Have a good week everyone!