Last month’s issue of O Magazine is dedicated to developing your creativity.  My first instinct was to cast aside the magazine and finish reading the SPD book I’m reviewing.  After all, I’ve known for years that I’m not the creative type.  I can barely draw a stick figure, and my flute playing has always been mediocre at best.  I’m not much into decorating my house and my scrapbook layouts often look like they were designed by my children.

I read magazines to entertain myself, not to feel like a failure, which is why I always skip the fashion sections.  I was not in the mood for a lesson in creativity.  I had a to do list a mile long; adding oil painting to it was not going to happen.

Still, my curiosity got the better of me one morning.  The kids were playing nicely together and I actually got to eat my breakfast in peace. Not knowing what to do with myself, I opened the cast aside magazine.

I turned to an article entitled “The Creation Myth” and–though I’m loathe to admit this–I would have to say I had an “Aha moment.”

The author was just like me.  She didn’t consider herself creative because she wasn’t artistic, but as the article asserts, creativity is not “the sole province of the arts.”   She cites examples of incredibly creative people, who would not be considered artistic.  People like Einstein and Temple Grandin.

Over the week, I began to notice ways in which I demonstrate creativity.  I thought of the awesome Wall-E costume my husband and I made for Danny last year out of all recycled material.  I considered the birthday cakes that we make for the kids; though they are definitely not of professional caliber, the kids always love them.  And then there’s the cool heart-shaped pinata I made this Valentine’s Day for a party Charlotte decided to throw her friends.  All creative endeavors.  And fun!

The more I thought about this topic, though, the more I realized that I flex my creative muscles a lot when it comes to dealing with my kids’ SPD.  If thinking creatively is akin to thinking outside the box, then most of the parenting solutions I come up with could be classified as pretty imaginative.

If I weren’t creative, would I be able to consistently devise new and exciting obstacle courses for the kids, often involving themes like swamps and animals?

I don’t think so.

Would I have made up the Spin the Fruit game, (you put a plate of different fruits on a Lazy Susan and spin it.  Whichever fruit lands in front of you is the one you eat) an all-time favorite with the kids and one that actually got Danny to try some new food?

It’s doubtful.

When the OT told me to have Danny play with conflicting textures to help him desensitize himself, would I have concocted all manner of tactile creations, including Rice Krispies and chocolate syrup?

Not likely.

Every time I successfully manage to divert my kids’ attention when they are upset, every time I devise ways to make social gatherings easier for them, every time I turn chores into a game, I’m being creative.

And I’m willing to bet, you’re doing the same kinds of things.  Successfully parenting an SPD kid (or more than one), by its very nature, demands creative thinking.  We may not be composing symphonies or painting portraits, but we are using our imagination to solve problems and overcome challenges.

And that’s pretty much the very definition of creativity, isn’t it?

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