My son loves making things. He "invents" things that are not real -- like a minaturizer, which makes anything that touches the light beam a tiny version of itself or a robot that will clean the house. Sure the inventions are made of cardboard, sticks, tape, and wire-cleaners all connected by a complex real-looking circuit board, but it's real in his mind. And why couldn't we invent these things? To adults, it's tinkering, and we all played with materials we find in our homes when we're young. This is a typical child's mind. At some point in our lives, we are told that we can't do something or it's too hard or the realities of inventing a new thing hits us. It's critical to cultivate our idea muscles so that we surrender to our own small realities and widen our thinking. It gives us new ideas without boundaries. It brings us back to being creative without boundaries.

Let's make the impossible possible by realizing that ideas are possible. My son inspires me to think creatively. I hope that you encourage your kids ideas.