I wrote my impressions on Pinterest in this previous post. Less than 18 hours later, I met a fabulous friend for coffee and was introduced to a brand new perspective on this site.
She explained this: it's about inspiration.
Essentially, my new friend explained, it's like a magazine where every page is a great article. She chooses the content and who she follows very carefully.
Brilliant.
There's two opposing views on Pinterest here by other moms-who-blog. I had picked up a Today's Parent magazine in my doctor's office to read Bunmi Laditan's comments: "I don't pin. [Pinterest for me is all about] crafts I'll never do, meals I'll never make." Yes. That's how I had felt. More, I do deeply appreciate her take on not trying to make her children's childhood magical and I did like this excerpt from her blog entry that's been circulating this week:
Do we want to teach our children that the magic of life is something that comes beautifully gift-wrapped -- or that magic is something you discover on your own?
Planning elaborate events, daily crafts, and expensive vacations isn't harmful for children. But if the desire to do so comes from a place of pressure or even a belief that the aforementioned are a necessary part of one's youth, it's time to reevaluate.
I agree with the principles behind this. And yet, as I have discovered, there is that flip side: Pinterest can be a tool for creativity and fun.
So for a few days - in moments here and there around every day life - I've been pinning things to my pinterest board. Not everything that I will pin will be done. Nor should it be. Each pin has potential to be a useful tip, technique or idea for my life - a busy, noisy, messy, wonderful life - that in ideal circumstances, could use a think tank's resources for life made simple(r).
I imagine that, like most things in life, Pinterest is a resource to be used with much about wisdom, discernment and moderation.
It's a resource. It's not a plumb line. It's not a goal-orienting-tool. Used by perfectionists and the perfectly imperfect alike, it's important to remember who you are and whose you are when contemplating any project.
And as I was about to post this today, I read this very wise and articulate article which effectively sums it all up for me. The highlight for me from her post is this:
As a Christian, I absolutely love what Edith Schaeffer writes in “What is a Family?” about how we are created in the image of God, and thus we are to be creative people. Just think about the world that God created – the variety of animals, the beauty of a sunset, the flowers of spring. We appreciate that beauty because we are made in His image! There are a thousand ways to express that creativity, and as moms, none of us have to be the same! All of us are to find beauty in everyday things and to encourage creativity in our homes. Some of us may enjoy doing arts and crafts projects with our kids, while others excel at working to create a garden or a chicken coop, or cooking, or writing, or computer programming, or music, or babysitting, or any number of other things. If done for His glory, God is praised in all of our creative efforts!
As parents, there is a balance between turning our kids loose to entertain themselves and overindulging them with fun things to do. The balance is providing needed support so that they can learn to become creative individuals.
Although I will not be planting jelly beans (and reserve the right to not suspend my disbelief about content), I humbly admit that I am now actively interested in Pinterest because I see now that limiting my exposure to the creativity that's accessible on media is counter-intuitive if I am daring to be open to let God do immeasurably more in my life and, by extension, the lives of my boys. 