When my youngest daughter was getting married, we went announcement shopping. Shopping is not on my list of enjoyable activities! We stopped at a couple of places, choked on prices, and then found the perfect thing. It was way out of our budget, but being crafty, we can do anything, sort of women, we decided we could recreate it ourselves.
We headed to my sister’s home for a second opinion. She felt we were right on; we could certainly duplicate those invitations ourselves. We then spent a good hour measuring, talking paper, and looking at photos. It was fun, and I enjoyed the time with my youngest daughter.
While we were talking about photos, my sister mentioned she thought people looked better in black and white photos. An animated conversation took place over her comment. Then she said a profound thing. “Maybe black and white makes people look better because we are so used to seeing them in color.” Wow!
That got me thinking about when we were kids. All our photos were black and white. I was well into grade school before any of my photos were in color. I said, “Do you remember the first time we saw ourselves in color? Remember how we thought we looked so much better?” Isn’t it interesting that what is unfamiliar can be more appealing at times than what we see every day? You know where I’m going with this, don’t you?
As we were leaving, my sister said, “Mary, do you remember The Wizard of Oz? Do you remember that the movie was in black and white at the beginning, and then there was the magical moment when color burst onto the screen? Wasn’t that astonishing?” I could clearly recall that experience. I remembered how the breath was knocked out of me from sheer amazement. I was stunned. It was so beautiful. I hadn’t even realized how drab it was before because I was used to seeing movies in black and white. It was unexpected. I just assumed that the whole movie would be black and white.
From Black and White to Color
That’s what happens when you create a family activity, a learning moment, or a special space for your children, and it’s filled with color, new things, and excitement. That’s what happens when parents are present and participate. That’s what it’s like when you set aside family time and honor it with consistency. It literally takes your children’s breath away. It turns family time from black and white to color.
I’ve experienced this with my grands, and I’ve watched it happen in other families too. Creating an environment like this changes a family’s experience together.
This is Principle Three from The Five Principles of Power: Make It Special. Consistency makes family activities and learning special. Being present while you do them makes them magical.
