Alli has found her inner artist. She has begun coloring, and coloring, and coloring. She colors as soon as she gets up in the morning, she colors as I sit and teach Elijah every day (it's my school, she says), and she colors before and after supper and would color in bed at night if we allowed it.
Don't misunderstand me, I love that she is so fond of this exercise. It has helped her learn more names of colors (like pwurpish-pink) and it keeps her occupied quietly for hours. The problem occurs when I must keep every picture she finishes. There are hundreds now, maybe thousands. And anyone who knows me at all knows my OCD nature and my severe allergic reaction to clutter.
So all this background information leads me to the exchange I had with my sweet daughter the other night after dinner:
I was cleaning up and wiping off the island and I picked up a half-sheet coloring sheet and absent-mindedly threw it in the garbage right in front of my daughter. She instantly opened the garbage can, peered inside and said (in her sweet 3 year old voice),
"Why you frow away my pretty piture?"
And I'm not exaggerating when I say she had tears in her eyes. So of course I quickly rescued it from the trash heap and promptly displayed it on the refrigerator. And all malice was forgotten.
I guess I'm going to have to learn to deal with the piles of her art. And she'll have ample reason to suffer later in life when she is starving for her craft and she remembers that her Mom used to throw her masterpieces in the garbage.
6 comments:
Oh...what a sweet story, Donette:) Breaks your heart, doesn't it?
But the question remains- what do you do with it all--especially with multiple kids. I read advise on organizing kids art into a file for each child. You might need a pretty decorated box for Allie's:)--display some on the gallery of the fridge- and keep the rest in the box- where she knows that you treasure them:)
What a blessing that she has her "school" too:) So sweet! -- and great for you!!
Hugs,
Linda
How cute!!! And how nice that she colors while you teach Elijah!
I wait until they go to bed and then throw them away :)
that's so cute! and I can totally hear ali's voice saying that too. thanks for sharing! I enjoy the updates!
oh, how sweet...
I like Linda's idea for you - get her a cute box to keep her treasured pictures in.
I would, but I toss my kids' pictures! :) I keep very few! And I thought I was the one that kept too much cluttery paper! LOL!
I mail Liberty's masterpieces to distant relatives or hand them out at church with a short note from me written on it. And I make a big deal out of the gift to Liberty as we put the papers into envelopes. "Grandpa's gonna LOVE this, Liberty! It is very kind to make something for other people."
Yes, it costs a stamp, but at least the storing or tossing decision takes place hundreds of miles from here. ;-)
Take pictures of each one, and set up a file entitled "Allie's Artwork" on your computer. That way she (and you) can go back and look at them whenever you want! :-)
And I agree.....wait til she is in bed and throw them in the garbage can in the garage. lol
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