In February, Archita texted me to ask if my daughter, Maryam would be interested in making 20 watercolor floral cards for her to send to customers. Archita is an amazing mosaic artist and is also our neighbour, Maryam's art teacher and a fellow unschooling mom. She was also the first to recognise Maryam's interest in this medium.

I asked my 9 year old and she said yes. She seemed confident when she said yes, but not so much when she began practicing. However, she was determined to see it through. This project took well over a month because she spent two weeks practicing watercolor techniques through online tutorials. Then for each of the 20 cards, she would practice till she was satisfied before creating the final art work. The entire experience has taught us both so much about consistency, practice and learning independently.

Last week, she handed over the last card and got paid for her commissioned work. She is so proud of herself.

Teachers like Archita, and Sanobar Sabah and a few others I've had the privilege to know, give me hope. Imagine if more adults took the time and care to nurture creativity in children, to give them opportunities to dream, trust their abilities, and allow them to believe in themselves... what a beautiful world we would have.