Be Creating

When I was a child riding in the car with my brother on family trips, my mother would often ask us to play the quiet game . The quiet game was a challenge between my brother and I to see who could keep quiet the longest.  The trick to winning was often in pestering the other player until they would speak first. As I was teaching a group of adults the other day, after two hours of constant chatter,  I wanted to ask them to play the quiet game.  At that moment I realized the hidden value in learning to play the quiet game. The value wasn't in the silence experienced by all, the value was in the discipline of self that we learned as we played.  With each new contest we were learning to manage our own behavior and learning to recognize that no one else makes us do anything.  Our ability to remain silent was up to us.  What a wonderfully simple way to demonstrate for children they are in control of themselves.