Jen and Michael agreed that it felt like a mixed blessing when the kindergarten teacher told them she thought their daughter was "very creative." The teacher had commented on Allison's love of dramatic and imaginative play, her bold and expressive artwork, her knack for solving problems with numbers and shapes, and her delight in finding connections among the many stories they read in class and those she had heard at home. "She's such an out-of-the-box thinker!" the teacher had exclaimed. As soon as the conference was over and they had left the classroom, Jen and Michael recalled looking at each other and saying, "Now what?" It's not that they do not agree that Allison is creative, nor that they think creativity is not a wonderful quality to possess. "It's just that being creative can make it so hard to get through school," Jen explained. "It feels like you're enduring hours and hours of repetitive dullness just to get to that one class where you get to be yourself and do what you love." Jen and Michael recognize that they are highly creative themselves, so they were not surprised to find out that their daughter is also, but they remember how different they felt in school, how many of their teachers did not understand why they could not simply do the rote exercises they were assigned in school without complaining, and how sad they often felt when they could not devote time to what they loved. Ever since that kindergarten conference, they have dedicated themselves to making sure that Allison's school experiences don't make her feel that being creative is "wrong." The author suggests that just as creative adults need jobs in which they can shine by pursuing things they love, solving problems, and developing new ideas and products, so creative children need nurturing environments at home and at school.