She claims she had no paper (there are reams of paper, scrap and fresh, all around her). And she assures me the marker is washable. This kid is burning with a need to decorate stuff (skin included).
So did I yell? No, though it was tough not to. I did sigh a little and I could feel my lips purse in disapproval. I had to will them back into their normal shape. Then I took her picture.
I've listened and read so many stories about people being told by adults that colors don't match, that art is not good enough. Please let that never happen to my daughter! Let her run free until she's ready to be a grown up. And then let her run some more!
Where do we lose that? That freedom to feel like walking around with red marker skin would be fun? I think art and creativity are sometimes trapped in the same place. Is it social conditioning that knocks it out of us? Is it replaced with the cares of adulthood? That seems odd to me because so much of my adult responsibilities deal with allowing my children to be happy and unburdened.
Maybe that explains why I let motherhood overrun my personal goals, why I expend so much effort ensuring a carefree life for my kids. Because deep, deep down, I know they have to leave it behind someday, this place called childhood, where the ponies ride in the clouds, and the sandbox is bottomless....and red marker is acceptable makeup.
I hope they prove me wrong.
5 comments:
Me, too! I will tell you that at about 30, my children became happy and remarkable human beings. But, unfortunately, for most, there is a lot of pain to get through. But if you give them love and freedom to just be when they are home with you, they will make it!!
I suspect that we lose that freedom to not care when we become adolescents.
Or maybe just trade those dreams for others. We don't have to stop dreaming just because we get older.
He, he...I love it. My 13 year old and one of his buddies found my old *Received On....* stamp that I used when I was a medical case manager. Did they stamp all over the scrap paper in my office? Hell no.....they decorated each other.....had to laugh.....And, of course, I walked around all day Saturday with teal paint on my forearm, shirt front (right boob) and white scrub pants....I guess I leaned a little too close to the wall when trying to fix a spot I missed......couldn't be bothered to change clothes or wash it off.....it drives my family crazy but I really don't care! It's not like I smell bad....I just look funny!
teri
Yep, that spontaneous creativity will get stifled by self consciousness, classmates &/or teachers soon enough....you did the right thing by taking a picture instead of "nipping it in the bud". My girls are 7 & 8, I struggle with not pointing it out to them when their clothes don't match:)
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