Upon closer examination, this title may be misleading. Get your heads out of the gutter, my friends! A passion of THAT sort is, of course, essential for a marriage, but I’m talking about a different type in this article. I’m referring to the passion that unleashes an adult’s creativity and imagination. It’s the one thing that makes us feel like all the possibilities are still before us.
For me, that passion (beyond God) is for fiber arts in general and bobbin lace specifically. What does a technique that is several thousand years old have to do with parenting in 2025?
My answer is everything. Absolutely everything.
As we grow up and life and adulting become a routine that weighs us down in responsibility, maturity, and more than the occasional monotony, it’s so essential for our children to see us as something other than an older man with a sore back working all the time, the tired lady doing the dishes, the frustrated parent trying to fit 18 tasks into two hours before bed, or so many other ways we struggle through the everyday tasks. It is easy to lose the light and passion for the small things — those long-held goals, toys, and activities that sparked our joy when we were young and have often gotten lost along the way.
So, our children, who are already being challenged from birth by technology, quickly lose their curiosity for the world when they have so much of it at their fingertips. It’s imperative that we, as parents, set an example. We can help them see that there is so much to learn, to love, to inspire in the world, and it is often so much bigger, deeper, and more beautiful than anything you can find on a screen.
For me, the passion shines through best when I’m sitting at my lace pillow and listening to the clack, click, clack of the bobbins as I make lace. Do I need lace? No. Do I want lace? Oh, very much, yes!
My girls see me working hard, trying and failing, trying and succeeding, and glowing with happiness and pride in my efforts. In other words, they see me dreaming, growing, sometimes falling, and succeeding more often than not. This, more than anything, will help fight the overwhelming lethargy that technology produces in our youth. So, whether you have a handy lace pillow or your passions lead you more toward boring…
Ahem *Smacks typing hand*…
I mean, awesome activities…find what brings you joy. Find what lights you up. Then, let your kids see you doing it. Let them become curious about your interests first, but then they will just as likely turn to finding their own.
