Little G has a new hobby: drawing on walls. She started doing it while visiting New York and personally, I blame MOMA for giving her the idea. Be that as it may, You must be mad is not happy, given that Little G is not Banksy, and she always manages to chose a colour that doesn't go with the rest of the room.
At the moment, she is being actively discouraged, though in the future, should she become a famous artist, we might all look back and wish we'd saved her juvenilia for posterity. Which brings me in a total non sequitur to the tricky subject of bribery, or as my friend Sheila, minder of Slightly Older Grandchild calls it: rewards.
Sheila uses rewards copiously because as she rightly points out, we are not here to waste our time arguing and negotiating and dealing with strops - that's the parental job. We have been down that path and now, in our old age, we are here for fun. Her rewards consist of packets of raisins or small apples - a cunning choice as they take a long time to eat.
I also use these, coupled with small packets of cheese biscuits and the odd chocolate penny to smooth our path through the day. It works well, though Little G is very canny about rewards and reminds me if one has been promised. With each reminder, the reward increases incrementally in size and importance.
Thus a casual mention in passing last week that some ice-cream might be forthcoming if all her lunch was eaten, rapidly developed from 'some ice cream' to 'I like ice cream' to 'I have ice cream for pudding' to 'it's ice cream day at Grandma's house tomorrow!'
In the end and as promised, she did indeed have some ice cream. And then complained that it was too cold to eat which sadly is a prime example of the triumph of experience over hope, and something one is never too young, nor too old, to learn.
To be continued ... ....
It's amazing how they can turn the vaguest comment into something set in a tablet of stone yet they "forget" the important deal you made to win the award in the first place.
ReplyDeleteIndeed...see last blog about her...they are so funny....
DeleteMillie tells me that drawing on your hands is much more satisfying. She told the postman that she is a princess but I think "a little madam" is a more accurate description.
ReplyDeleteAnticipation is so much more exciting than gratification, even when you are just two, it seems. A lesson early learned by Little G. I am getting quite an image of her personality from these posts...a very smart and acute one too.
ReplyDeleteI know we have to stop children drawing on walls, we don't want their offerings all over the house, but it's still hard to explain why when you walk down the road and see 'street art' all over the place.
ReplyDeletehahaha my son is at exactly the same wall drawing stage!
ReplyDeleteAt least it is D's walls, not mine....though she does draw on my table...
DeleteI know why I "only" have cats. Bribery ? Corruption ? Education ? Forget it. Btw, Carol working on it. Tomorrow (but that's not a promise and I'm not a cat ;-) )
ReplyDeleteHaha..you're the nearest thing to one!! No probs...take your time...
Deletenearest thing to one ? I Take that as a compliment. Ausone (with a new scar) greets Kitten.
DeleteMy eldest son went through the 'drawing on walls' phase - I was horrified at the mess but my dad said 'he's asserting his creativity!' Had that been me in my toddler years I would have had a tanned backside but not the grandchild, oh no! As it happens, my son is about to begin his journey to University and is doing graphic design - Banksy is a favourite of his!! ;-)
ReplyDeleteHow inteeresting *passes Little G crayons..stands back*
DeleteIn Randy Pauch's incredibly touching and memorable "Last Lecture", [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo ] he mentions that his parents allowed him to paint murals and decorations on his bedroom walls. My daughter was a pre-teen, and she loved the idea. Until she left for University, she and her friends painted her room—walls, ceilings, furniture, decorations—with whatever took their fancy. There were poems, drawings, thoughts... We sold the house and moved to the UK, but not before making careful photos and records of her life as reflected by her room.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Little G's mom would consider painting a wall with blackboard paint or even just designating one wall as the one to decorate? Imagine what a lovely record of her life it could hold!
What a good idea! Mind, her paper sketches (juvenilia in the making) are stacking up. Her 'Two Mummies' could be a classic.... in time...
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