To Art or Not to Art?

Do you ever have that panic feeling when your child asks for the art supplies so she can “make” something? My two oldest are creating works of art for the Reflections Art Contest at school. They have entered works for the past two years and have done very well. Celeste is questioning how hers is looking so far. She likes entering in the sculpture category. This year she is building a small relief sculpture out of clay. She made herself with two other friends to represent the theme of each being different but all are friends. It’s cute. I think she will do just fine. Savannah of course is doing a cat theme – wild cats with a tiger being the head kitty. Oh how she loves her tigers and cheetahs. I have been helping her with a large drawing of about seven big cats. And it is so hard for me not to get in there and help her color in the fur and spots. I have an invisible something slapping my hand when I touch the drawing with a pencil. 

Back to the original inspiration of this short story, I experience panic when one kid needs the art supplies out. I should really flee the scene because I know the consequences of bringing out the supplies. After helping one get set up, I am confronted with another child running in from behind wanting to create her artwork. So I get her set up while feeling the panic intensifying. Now, Sierra notices her sisters are doing something without her - time to play with my sisters (more like time to compete with my sisters)!

Now I stand, ready to be strung and quartered by three little girls. Trying to be a good mom has it’s causalities of the mind. The girls are at that “the universe revolves around me” mindset so when one ask for my help, the other two ask for something, anything, to snatch my attention away from the other. Then there is the demand for the same color pencil by Sierra because Mama said it was her fancy pencils for Savannah to use with her drawing. Then Savannah needs to go touch Celeste’s clay after Celeste says she has one part done. After yelling “stop touching”, Celeste yells “MOM”! But Mom is trying to convince Sierra that her color pencils are just fine for her picture. Savannah is told to go back to her side and finish. Then Sierra snatches a pencil from Savannah while I’m with Celeste helping her re-paint a mouth on her clay figure. Savannah growls at Sierra and I separate the pencils farther apart and make sure their papers are no where close to each other. However the table is not the size of a football field so somehow the corners of their papers touch and the hollering resumes. 

By this time it has been only 10 minutes and I have had enough. My blood pressure has gone up considerable and I’m unable to smile to encourage my girls to have an enjoyable experience creating.

So when I hear, “I want to make something”, I instantly have a panic attack and create all sorts of excuses of why it can’t be done at that moment…. Then I feel guilty for not allowing their creativity develop.