Sometimes, statutory agencies and other Pillars influenced entities use words like unreachable to describe families in our Focus Group.
But people – and this includes members of families who have always viewed the system with suspicion and wariness, and choose to make themselves unreachable – are naturally drawn towards creativity.
Creativity excites, invites and usually stimulates a response. If you are a parent, or if you have ever worked with children, (or if you remember your own childhood) you will know this.
And the same is true for adults.
Creativity is intimately connected with passion and love, and fosters hope, i.e. the possibility that something might be different, that there is an invitation to express myself and perhaps look at the same situation with different eyes.
Research in neuroscience has proven that love and creativity impact on activity in the brain, relieving psychological pain and contributing to the release of certain chemicals that reduce the effects of other chemicals associated with anger and hostility [1].
Risk taking, (not foolhardiness) is a necessary component of creativity.
In order to make any progress in any field we need to take a risk. It is attractive to people who are in distress because many people who are in distress and/or have had tragedies or very difficult experiences in their lives are angry with what they perceive as bureaucratic obstacles that are placed in their way for – from their point of view – no apparent reason.
When we take a risk we put ourselves out on a bit of a limb, and in this context our organisation needs to accept that not all risks turn out well. One good way to foster appropriate risk taking is to encourage/enable external supervision for staff, either individual or in small group.
Risk-taking is also good modelling in our goal of encouraging good enough parenting.
Every time we discipline our child we take a risk of sorts. We weigh up the consequences of the disciplinary action – whether or not it is appropriate and helpful in firstly building a loving relationship and secondly the overall project of rearing a child who has an appreciation of boundaries.
If we are under pressure or are in distress ourselves our parenting skills are always enhanced by having our minds opened to creative methods of disciplining children.
We can learn many skills on formal parenting courses but a far more effective way of mind-opening is that creativity is modelled, not only in parenting, but in all aspects of our lives.
[1]. I recommend Why Love Matters by Sue Gerhardt (2004) if you are interested in recent scientific/medical research that posits how love and creativity enables healthy brain development in babies and children.