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December 2002 Column

I was lucky growing up. Although I myself may not have seen the spark there, those around me did and they made sure the fire was fed. From my first grade teacher, Miss Eklund, who always gave us free time to write a story, to my family who always had a supply of paper and pens at the ready. The spark was fanned even more as I was taken on family trips to Emerson, Thoreau and Alcott’s house.

I’ve been reminded of the importance of feeding the creative side from my children as well. I first spotted the creativity spark when my daughter at age four was accompanied everywhere by not one but four or five imaginary friends. And as a writer and a mother I instinctively felt the need to feed this blossoming imagination of hers. Thus I would often be found waiting patiently for all five of these friends to pile into the car before we went anywhere.

It appeared again when the same daughter was in fifth grade and proudly brought home the school paper in which was one of her poems. Many children had chosen to write stories about squirrels or turkeys (it being a fall issue.) Then there was my daughter’s poem, about a person greeting the early summer rain and watching the angry sea from a window seat, while opening a book about toiling and troubling seas. Yes, I thought to myself as I read it. My writing gene has definitely been passed down.

It recently came to the forefront again while picking my middle son up from Kindergarten a little late. As we left the school, he inquired as to why I was late. I explained that while in traffic I was stuck behind a cement mixer.

His reply? “Did you try to pass the cement mixer and instead crash into it and they had to call a tow truck and life flight?”

“No” I replied shaking my head, “I just got stuck behind a cement mixer. That would make a great story though wouldn’t it?”

I buckled him into his booster seat all the while wondering on genetics and the importance of nurturing wild imaginations.

Carla Charter is mom to Samantha (11), Halden (4), and Mathew (3). In addition to being a mom, Carla is a freelance writer specializing in newspaper and magazine journalism. Among her publication credits are Woman's World, American Indian Report  and New England Business Journal. Online she has been published in Scubasource.com and Military.com. She teaches creative writing courses at Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, Ma. Recently her novel Across Lots has been serialized at http://www.newenglandwow.com. She may be reached at cjfreelancewriter@earthlink.net.