Shut-up and Let Her Paint

Brandn’s birthday is this Thursday and D is making 2 art projects for him.  She is painting 2 different objects and a towel is under all her stuff.  I continually remind her “be careful and don’t make a mess.”  I’m giving her total creative control and this is very hard for me.  I see how she’s painting her things and it’s nothing like how I think they should be painted.  But it’s her project.  She picked the items out from the store and she has a vision for each one and I’m doing my best not to interfere.

I don’t want to crush her ideas and her creativity.  I don’t want her to think that her art work is not good enough and then jump to the conclusion that she’s not good enough.  Will she think because she is having trouble staying in the lines, she must suck as a person?  Is that a reasonable conclusion to jump to? Of course not, so I tell myself to shut up and let her paint.

So, I sit here distracting myself with this blog and reminding her “be careful and don’t make a mess.”

One tubes of paint is clogged and she is trying to unclog it by squeezing the heck out of it.  I take it from her and tell her that’s not how you unclog a paint tube; that’s how you make a mess.  So I get a needle and attempt to unclog it.  It doesn’t work and before I know it, a stream of paint is shooting up in the air and then it’s everywhere.  D doesn’t acknowledge the mess but says “Good thing God was there to help you.”  I have no idea what she means but I say “good thing” anyway.

5 minutes later D does the same thing and paint is all over her cute, polka dot, pig jammies with feet. (I would totally wear these if they came in my size.)  And I say, in my mean mother voice, “Seriously D you just made a mess! Didn’t I tell you to be careful?!?”  And then I remember I did it too and I have to stop myself because I’m a big fat hypocrite. I dry her tears and tell her I’m sorry and it’s ok and she’s not in trouble.  She works for about 10 more minutes and now she’s done.  She is so proud of her 2 presents and you know what?  They are beautiful.  And she can’t wait till Thursday to give them to papa.

Art projects are done and the mess is cleaned up and now we’re chilling on the couch watching and singing The Phantom of the Opera.  Her movie choice not mine, but no complaints here.  😉

Thanks for allowing me to share my world with you…welcome to my brain.