Last week's popsicle stick puppetsOk, I guess that is a fair thought considering that all 3 of them have been watching me engage in some sort of creative effort since they came out of the womb, and have visited their share of art fairs, museums, and art exhibits- However, by no means it is true for me to say that when I show up armed with supplies galore for a new project they are jumping for joy! Most of the time all I get are grunts! (from the oldest ones)
"Do we HAVE to?" (quoting my pre-teen)
"What are we making this time?"
"Are my hands gonna get sticky?" (quoting my control/cleanliness loving 6 year old)
"YEAH, ART time!" (quoting my 3 year old daughter who could care less if all she ends up with is a diarrhea looking blob of paint covered in dirt!!)
The truth is, sometimes, they feel like they can't "measure up" to my art (you know, for children, if you can draw anything they like with the least bit of accuracy, you are right up there in the Da Vinci category!); and with their natural and ever present need to please their parents, they become self critical and impatient .
Usually, after we get settled with supplies and such I assure them that we are just putting ideas together in the form of art (yes, I repeat the same thing every time), and that it is okay to share ideas, make suggestions and encourage one another to create. Most of the time, the kids actually relax and just let go. After a bit of resistance they get engaged and it is great!
However,last week when we had art time at home, I kept thinking what can I do to get to "This is fun, mom" part without the grunting?
Is my perfectionism in other areas of my life influencing the way they feel about doing this with me? PROBABLY.
I can sit there until I turn green and try to convince them that it is okay to have an abnormal sized nose on a puppet, but if when i do my own work all they see is their perfection seeking mother, it ain't gonna fly baby!
So I am making a conscious effort to mess up in front of them. It kills me inside, you have no idea! Anything from letting them know how I forgot my keys in the fridge, walking in the house with my shoes on (who could conceive of it?), spilling my juice (haven't done the grape juice yet because I really love my World Market placemats, but I am sure the lemonade gets the point across just fine). They laugh at me. It's kind'a cool and liberating; Maybe you should try it. And if you already do this, can you give me some pointers?
Thanks for reading!
what a great post. as a mom and soon to be art teacher, i do alot of activities with my kids (5 and 2) so far they are mostly in too it, but you may have given me a glimpse into the future. I should start doing things imperfectly now to avoid some pitfalls? The hard part for me is letting my son (5) take the reins and make the decisions. It's hard, but I let him, I know it's so important.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you want to encourage art to your kids! The only thing that my son likes to do is drawing, so I just bring drawing books from the library and let him do as he likes.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I just make his drawings into weird fabric creatures and he loves it!
I really don't have to pretend to make mistakes around the house, because I'm making them for real since they were born. I'm just too busy and keep forgetting everything :)