When I was a preschool teacher, I would always make sure that the kids went home dirty. The more paint, mud, and goop, the better. Most moms didn't appreciate it much. Now that I am a mother with no laundry in my unit, I would probably habor a bit of resentment as well, but I know that in the long run, it's good for kids to get crummy and downright dirty exploring the world around them. All you have to do is make bath time a nightly ritual, and not put your kids in clothing from a Newbury boutique.
So, it shouldn't come as a surprise to you that my son shares in my love for finger painting, and well . . . face painting. When we went to pick him up this afternoon, his teacher walked me over to his Picasso's drying in the corner, and I just melted. The brown and red beautiful globs of nearly dry paint were a wonderment to behold. It was his first artwork that I could hang on the fridge, so I was especially proud of him. The teacher remarked about how he "really got into this next one". She pointed to his artwork and described how he cried for more brown paint, just enough to spread around and then plopped his entire face into it. I knew, of recent, that he has a habit of laying his head on soft things, on the floor, and pretending to sleep for a second. It's quite a precious thing to see. This version was hilarious though. They were fortunate enough to get pictures of his facepaint, then body paint, and his sink bath. This was, by far, his best afternoon in daycare yet.
What I learned today: Life is not clean and orderly. As a friend of mine writes: "life is a dirty journey" so don't be afraid to get messy. It might just be the most fun you've had all year.
2 comments:
That is a phenomenal image! How cute -- I want to see the pics.
I can just see him doing this. All boy!! He will indeed get messy often.
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