Remember all that driftwood you collected each walk you took along the ocean? I spent every one of my summers at the beach and I would never stop picking up shells, driftwood and sea glass. By the time I went to college I could have filled a storage unit. My mom would use them as ground décor in the garden. It was a personal hunt to find the most beautiful object. Each consecutive time I thought I had found a more beautiful piece for my collection. I miss those days, I miss my mother. I think that is why I like living in South Florida is that I am near the sea and I think of her often. Not the same sea but the idea of that space. I hope that where she is she is proud of me as I realize as I get older and farther away from those memories I miss her even more. Unfortunately I never found a piece of Sequoia driftwood- I am sure my mom would have found a way to use it!
One important lesson I learned from my own childhood is that the quality of the physical space and intellectual space you give to your child is much more important than the quantity. Parents need somehow to leave their child space to grow and discover on their own. The size and quantity of this space varies with age and the type of character your child has, but if you want to encourage them to become a free thinker they need to achieve certain discoveries and knowledge through their own efforts. One of the most important ways to encourage this is through good design for their 
