"I don't have a creative bone in my body!" Dad, have you ever heard that? Have you ever said it?

Our bet is that if you believe that about yourself, you have simply squelched your creativity—you have suppressed it—it is stagnating inside you due to lack of use. Wake it up, Dad! How are you going to encourage your kids to develop their creative muscles, if your own batteries have corroded?

Let there be …

Our Creator—by whatever name you choose—took a shapeless and dark void and molded it into form and substance. Darkness became light. The land produced vegetation, and vast space displayed the stars. Animals appeared, not the least of which were man and woman. The work of a creative mastermind. Call it a force, if you choose. Call it energy. Even a process. The results were and are magnificent.

We all know wonderfully creative people—musicians, artists, dancers, cooks, word workers, etc. If we were fortunate enough, we were touched by creative teachers and counselors. We all have some bones of creativity. You may have allowed them to atrophy due to lack of use. 

Ah, those dry bones!

Creative muscles are like leg muscles—you have to use them in order to develop and build them. They may be a little stiff at first because developing creative skills takes work. All of us need to tap our creative powers and do some calisthenics.

Our guess is that you possess creative skills that have been lying dormant. Or you have applied creative talents without even knowing it. 

Do you play golf? Tinker with the lawn mower? Make a special meal? Make up stories? Find just the right gift? Those activities require creative skills. You may have a heap of creative bones in your body that need to be re-assembled.

Instill those creative bones in your youngsters. Encourage them to look for the unique, the unusual, a new way of doing something. People, whose creative muscles have turned to mush, marvel at a mind that sees things differently—that dares to be different, off the wall, outrageous. 

Yes, we know. Many schools do not feed a fertile imagination. Churches resist change. Society insists we play by the rules. We're told to "stay in line," in first grade and accused of being "outta line" on the job. Too bad. When the creative spirit is stifled, just like a muscle without exercise, it loses its strength and energy.

So, Dad, bone up on your creativity and be a good role model.

Creativity is a skill that can be developed. Be curious. Take a risk. Be positive and don't be discouraged. Think of more than one solution to a challenging problem. Open up to experiences by reading a new book, visiting a museum, taking a class, trying out a new skill. Try a new approach. Discover a new part of yourself and benefit your teen.