Hyper-Active Traveling Mind

No doubt that there's so much to learn in this world. Let's name some: music, martial arts, crafting, extreme or 'normal' kind of sports, life-skill hobbies (cooking is one of them), and many more. People have been disputing on a perfect time for kids to start learning those. Should we start as early as possible? Who should initiate the desire to learn? Parents? Kids?

Which one is meeeee?

With a little pride, if I may, I am a living prove who can tell you now that learning things mentioned 'up there' is never gone to waste. I remember that I would come to school dutifully every Sunday morning to have my drumband practice. I handled percussion back then and I had a blast. Too much that my school report scores almost burnt to ground. 'fun' is the key word. And even though it meant that I had to leave school at 8 PM almost every night whenever we had a competition going on, my parents were always there to pick me up and I had never seen any disapproval look from both of them. Those were the days.

A few years back before, I was a member of a Pencak Silat group, a basketball team, a volleyball team and occasionally helped the PASKIBRA (the flag raising and lowering team). Had my father given me a permission, I would have become a member of a mountain climbing team. Oh yes, I was thirsty all right. Remember that first sentence of this posting? It's not because of the learning but it's because the fun aspect of it.

Later on when I was becoming an adult, I learned that I've got the fringe benefits of joining those: discipline, teamwork and all aspect in it like leadership/ sharing/ tolerance and one more thing that I think I had gain from all of those activities: intelligence and logical rational way of thinking. I am good with rhythm, I could follow the music, play musical instruments and sing a bit. If I'm bored, I'd do those things and then my mind could be fresh again and I can start thinking complicated things. It's like a defragmenting process, only in a more fun way.

The biggest skills I have had (and am still learning it) would be anything to do with teamwork. Having been a subordinate a lot in organizations, I learn what to do and what's not. I learn to take others' opinion and meet half way whenever I could. I learn to put myself in someone else's shoes. I learn to put others' needs as priority no matter how much I myself would want that. It is an application of being unselfish concept and sharing.

And indeed I am still learning, learning and learning. I could only imagine if my family had never been patient enough to put up with my hyper-active minds, I'd be a totally different person: most likely, self-centered with unlimited stubbornness.

So, go on. Get your kids to join activities. Let them choose what's fun. It's part of life's lessons. They'll know the fringe benefits later when they become adults. Just like me.