Monday, June 12, 2006

prolific

Aidan's an artist. He draws all the time. When he's not drawing, he's begging for leftover scrapbooking stickers so he can create sticker art. When he's not creating sticker art, he's logged on to art.com, making neato paintings with special effects. He chalks the sidewalks outside. He has drawing pads that are all filled up. He has stacks and stacks of loose papers that are filled up with drawings. He has free reign of the paper. He's allowed to take as much as he wants - and he does. We have Aidan's art hanging all over the house - in my office, on the fridge, on the bedroom doors....


SO WHY DOES HE KEEP DRAWING ON THINGS HE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO DRAW ON???

Thursday night, I returned home from scrapbook convention to discover that he had scribbled with blue crayon all over the family room floor. Two days before, he had scribbled on the bannister. I was livid, but lucky for Aidan, Jeanne was here so I refrained from beating the Blue Period out of the little Van Gogh. We told him he better tell us what else he'd drawn on. He said "nothing". But Ian ratted him out when he (a little too jubilantly) showed us Aidan's ABC scrapbook. Covered in red scribble.


"AIDAN!" I bellowed. "Your SCRAPBOOK? You know you're not allowed to write in books. ANY books. But especially your scrapbooks!"

I was furious, and sad.

"When you're a grown-up, you're gonna be sad 'cause your book will still have scribble on it, 'cause you RUINED IT WHEN YOU WERE FIVE!"

Then I opened it. My heart sank when I saw that he'd drawn on every single page of the book. Every. Single. Page.

Then I looked closer. On the "A" page, he drew an airplane. On the "X" page, he drew X's. Most every page had hearts all over them. I asked him why. "This heart means that I miss our old house," he explained. "This heart means that I love Daddy. This heart with a line through it means I don't miss Sissy, 'cause I see her all the time." And on and on and on.




My heart filled with pride. My not-yet-Kindergarten son is a journaler! In the only way he knew how, he was telling his stories. My scrapbooks are all about the stories - sometimes more so than the photos and always more so than the decorations. I knew as I flipped through the pages of his ABC book that I was holding a treasure. I was happy that the doodles and scribbles were there.

But I was still in a weird place. I didn't want to congratulate him for doing something he shouldn't have done, and yet, I didn't want to squash his spirit, either. I want to nurture his art, 'cause seriously. This is a kid who FEELS things and has a raging desire to express those things through art and written words.

I could not be more proud.

But he still had to be punished. (Especially for lying and saying he hadn't written on anything else.) Where's the manual for stuff like this?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is now a good time to point out that he can color on the floor if his momma can write on her walls? ;-)

I love reading your blog posts--they're funny, heart-tugging, and give real insight to your family and friends.

Anonymous said...

I love your comment Melissa. ...and NO Stacey, there is no manual; however, I would stock up on a ton of inexpensive journals he CAN draw/write in.

Veronica said...

Oh my!

I still occasionally find a book with scribble in it....done by me! :rolleyes: Guess I was a scribbler too.

I love that kid.

Unknown said...

Ya just gotta love that kid! I really don't know how you would 'punish' that cutie, except to take away his art suplies for a bit? Nah, don't you dare! :)
I love reading your blog as well, Stacy. I feel like 'part of the family.' :)

Anonymous said...

Aw Stacy, I love your little guys. Hug them for me. Thanks for posting the link- this is a great way to end my day!

Anonymous said...

Please tell me you wrote down the translations for what he said....that would be awesome to add to the back of the album!

I couldn't punish him. But then, I guess you can call me wimp-mama.

ruth

Nancy D. said...

I think you just keep saying "don't color in books/on the floor/on the banister, color on paper."

And eventually he'll stop.

Or he'll become a muralist and say "HA! MOTHER. People pay me serious money to COLOR ON THE WALLS!"

Donnann Tritten said...

I love this story, it made me tear up. He is such a treasure!!! I wouldn't know what to do either but kiss and hug on him!!!

darls said...

Buy him a med/large visual art diary book and tell him to do special scribblings in it. This way, he will start to learn to discriminate between scribbling and 'journalling'.

He's a little treasure, lucky you! Scrap this story and insert it into his album when he's much older then you both will have something to laugh about together...

Anonymous said...

That is such a darling story! I have tears in my eyes! Your cutie is going to be an awesome writer, just like his mama.