Children Quote by Nicole Krauss
““Sometimes, reading to my children at night, the perverse thought would come to me that in rehashing for them the same fairy stories, Bible stories, and myths, I was not giving them a gift but rather taking something from them. Night after night i was instructing them in convention. Here are the various forms life can take, I was telling them. And yet i still remembered the time when my older son's mind did not produce known forms or follow familiar patterns, when his urgent strange questions about the world revealed it anew to us. We saw his perspective as a form of brilliance and yet went on educating him in the conventional forms, even while they chafed us.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Great House by Nicole Krauss, 2017
The narrator worries that retelling familiar stories may limit a child's imagination, yet also values the child's unique curiosity and the tension between tradition and originality.
In simple terms: Rethinking storytelling and its impact on imagination.
Key Takeaway
Balance tradition with encouraging original thought.
Themes
parenting
imagination
tradition
education
creativity
Mood
reflective
thoughtful
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- Bedtime reading
- creative writing workshops
- educational curricula
- family discussions
Key Concepts
Narrative influence
cognitive development
cultural transmission
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we preserve cultural stories while fostering new perspectives?
- What practices nurture a child's innate curiosity?
A Different Perspective
Stories can both constrain and inspire; the effect depends on how they are presented.
