Success Starts With Make Believe!

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a forum focusing on children and play.  One of the speakers, Cindy Popovich from University of Pittsburgh's School of Education, shared numerous newspaper and magazine clippings she has collected over the past 25 years highlighting society's love-hate relationship with "play."  As each generation of parents seeks to find the "perfect" mix of early childhood education and play, advertisers bombard us with headlines on how to increase our children's IQ - and the benefits of exposing them to the latest "educational" gadget at an earlier and earlier age. 

But the research tells a drastically different story: the creative, imaginative world of make-believe is the single biggest factor in future adult success.  And, at least in this case, more is better! Role-playing, dressing up, socializing with other children in pretend scenarios is, hands down, the best and most enduring education your child can receive.

So, here's to extinguishing imaginary fires, hosting tea parties with your favorite teddy bears as guests, and playing school with the kids in the neighborhood.  The world of "make believe" holds the key to happy, well-adjusted, successful adults.