Painting abundance

When we were growing up, my siblings and I sometimes had to go to Carma’s. Looking back, the day care surely wasn’t legal—it entailed dozens of kids and one grumpy woman more concerned about her soaps and her dogs than the children under her care, it seemed.

I vividly remember the vinyl couch and carpet covers that protected against spills. I remember one time when a queue of little kids stared at me as I sat on the toilet—a mortifying experience that told me I was holding up their pre-nap pee. I remember Carma once fixed me an egg salad sandwich instead of my usual PB&J and I sat at the table, horrified, deciding between eating a hated food or getting scolded.

Most of all, though, I remember that each child was allowed only one piece of paper to color. I would plan out my artistic vision, carefully choose my crayons and cover every inch of white—on both sides, of course.

Looking back, my heart breaks for 5-year-old me. There I was, stuck in a miserable day care I hated, with my one escape—Crayolas and art—arbitrarily limited.

Peeper, thankfully, is blissfully unaware that a limit on paper could actually exist. When she paints, she does so with a gleeful abandon, mashing her palms in the paint and clapping her rainbow-hued hands together. “Another one!” she says as she fills each page with smears of color. Before long, art covers the table, counters and even the stove.

Toddler painting - Ten Thousand Hour MamaI send these masterpieces to family, turn them into birthday and baby shower cards and save my favorites in a file for later. I have grand plans to scan a bunch to print in a keepsake book—much easier to flip through than a pile of papers stuck in storage.

But even if they just end up in a stack in the kitchen forever, I don’t mind. Peeper doesn’t give a thought to where her creations will end up; she simply enjoys the process of dabbing paint to paper (and hands/face/high chair).

I love her creative spirit, her urge to make her mark. That streak of red says, “I was here.” The green-and-orange handprints say, “I have ideas.” Those brushstrokes say, “I’m testing out my place in the world and what my body can do.” To help that exploration, I will give her as many opportunities—and as many pieces of paper—as she wants.

0 thoughts on “Painting abundance

  • March 3, 2015 at 12:21 pm
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    oh my goodness. ugggggh. I had NO idea she was such an ogre. I trusted, and yes, checked out and even had a trusted next door neighbor whose kids would go there, too. Carma- I hope you get your bounce-around.

    Reply
  • March 3, 2015 at 12:21 pm
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    oh my goodness. ugggggh. I had NO idea she was such an ogre. I trusted, and yes, checked out and even had a trusted next door neighbor whose kids would go there, too. Carma- I hope you get your bounce-around.

    Reply
  • March 3, 2015 at 12:55 pm
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    I love that you are so free with Peeper and art, and I love the idea that you are thinking how to save them without agonizing over every scrap by putting them in a keepsake book. I also like the idea of a calendar with maybe some photos of her too!

    Reply
  • March 3, 2015 at 12:55 pm
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    I love that you are so free with Peeper and art, and I love the idea that you are thinking how to save them without agonizing over every scrap by putting them in a keepsake book. I also like the idea of a calendar with maybe some photos of her too!

    Reply
  • March 3, 2015 at 3:31 pm
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    Thanks for sharing your story. It’s great that you are allowing Peeper to grow through her creativity, but most importantly, by sharing your story, you are encouraging other parents and caretakers to do the same.

    Reply
  • March 3, 2015 at 3:31 pm
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    Thanks for sharing your story. It’s great that you are allowing Peeper to grow through her creativity, but most importantly, by sharing your story, you are encouraging other parents and caretakers to do the same.

    Reply
  • March 3, 2015 at 7:35 pm
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    Scanning is a great idea!
    Coloring and painting/art is not only wonderful on its own, it’s also a million times improvement from other activities kids can get sucked into, like using electronic devices! What a great activity!

    Reply
    • March 4, 2015 at 5:19 am
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      That’s so true! I imagine we’ll meet the day when Peeper would rather poke at her cell phone than sit down with a brush, but in the meantime I love her creative spirit.

      Reply
  • March 3, 2015 at 7:35 pm
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    Scanning is a great idea!
    Coloring and painting/art is not only wonderful on its own, it’s also a million times improvement from other activities kids can get sucked into, like using electronic devices! What a great activity!

    Reply
    • March 4, 2015 at 5:19 am
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      That’s so true! I imagine we’ll meet the day when Peeper would rather poke at her cell phone than sit down with a brush, but in the meantime I love her creative spirit.

      Reply
  • March 4, 2015 at 7:47 pm
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    My 4 year old loves to color and he too has a unlimited supply of paper in his mind. I can’t imagine giving him only 1 paper for the whole day!

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    • March 6, 2015 at 1:49 pm
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      Me too! Although knowing Peeper, she’d just come up with her own canvases – like the cardboard boxes she constantly colors on. 🙂

      Reply
  • March 5, 2015 at 7:53 am
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    I have a friend who went to a very similar daycare growing up. I let Squishy experiment with scissors yesterday and oh my goodness she was soooo happy. I am not a very artistic person but could never dream of limiting a child’s artistic expression!

    Reply
    • March 6, 2015 at 1:49 pm
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      We haven’t tried out scissors yet! I’ll have to do that soon—after I buy some kids’ scissors. 🙂

      Reply
  • March 5, 2015 at 7:53 am
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    I have a friend who went to a very similar daycare growing up. I let Squishy experiment with scissors yesterday and oh my goodness she was soooo happy. I am not a very artistic person but could never dream of limiting a child’s artistic expression!

    Reply
    • March 6, 2015 at 1:49 pm
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      We haven’t tried out scissors yet! I’ll have to do that soon—after I buy some kids’ scissors. 🙂

      Reply

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