Lessons Found in Art Class

Everyone had a different style of parenting. Mine is generally laid back, I figure even if he isn't doing it the "right" way, as long as he isn't hurting himself or anyone else it goes. This is of course easier said then done and sometimes I have to remind myself to take a step back and let him do his thing.

Ryan loves art, I mean he is almost always focused on the task and does almost everything himself. I let him go at it, he picks his own colors, shapes, decorating techniques, again I am there to make sure he doesn't get hurt (and in this case to get the caps off the markers). Really I don't care if I come home with something covered completely in brown and orange scribbles or if he decides to only decorate a small corner with a million overlapping stickers or if we just end up with a piece of paper with a glob of glue on it. It is his class and he always walks out proud of what has done which in my book is way more important then the art work itself.

I was sitting at a table today with a mom who literally wouldn't let her child do any of the art herself. Instead she was only allowed to hold the paint dobber if the mom was the one actually controlling the dobber. Apparently the 16 month old child was going to mess it up and there was the possibility that God forbid she would get some paint on her hand.

I think sometimes we lose sight of the goal and I am actually thankful that I saw this unfold today. If we are smart we remember that we can only control ourselves, that instead of trying to change others (which we all know is futile) we can learn from them. Today this woman made me put a mirror up to myself so that I could look at my actions and make sure that when I intervene with Ryan I do so for his best interest, not because it is easier, cleaner or makes things prettier.