Dare, Purr-tet

I'm not an overly strict parent. I don't have a slew of rules. I spend more time celebrating and encouraging good behavior than I do condemning bad behavior. I don't have preset expectations for my children at the moment, I watch them and see where they're headed and do what I can to enable them to get there. This is how I parent.

My rules aren't so much set in stone as they are set in values. The biggest lessons I hope to teach my children are this:

1. Have compassion - try to put yourself in someone else's shoes because you never know when those may become your shoes

2. Be considerate - you are not the center of the universe, please remember that

3. Don't benefit at someone else's expense - it simply isn't right and lacks dignity

4. Be a person of Integrity, and protect it - there will be days that it's all you have

5. Share your material things - they are not the treasures that really matter

6. Put God first, and the rest of these rules should come easily.

I tend to be relaxed about schedules, household craziness, and dirty children who are having fun. Naps can wait, noisy kids are happy kids, and messes can be cleaned up. There are times I pay for this lax behavior and there are times I love seeing my children just enjoying the moment. I love the latter enough to forge through the challenging moments brought on by the prior. Don't get me wrong, we have plenty of tantrums, time-outs, and moments of exasperation! But this is my prerogative, and I know it does not suit everyone.

Shockingly, I have digressed...greatly. Back to my original point--we do a lot of celebrating and encouraging in our house. One of the phrases you'll hear in our house is, "There, perfect!" Especially when artwork is involved...because it truly is perfect every single time. That's what I love about art....no rules, just expression.

Clinton has caught onto this and we often hear, "Dare, purr-tet" when he's coloring, or "fixing" the wheels on Rodney's Jeep with a welding torch or screwdriver, or helping me cook, or setting up train tracks...or putting Heidi Sage's paci in her mouth. It fills my heart because I know he's learned the concept of accomplishment, but more importantly the satisfaction of a job well done.

This past week Clinton was really in need of something to do....and something that did not involve Nick Jr. So, I started looking through all the remnants of past projects and found the "purr-tet" 90 minute project.

Clinton cleaning his canvas. This was a 3'x4' piece of MDF from one of my many failed attempts at something amazing. He looks unhappy because he wasn't really interested in cleaning, he just wanted to peent (paint). But I told him clean first, then paint....so he begrudgingly obliged.

In an attempt to save his cute outfit, I stripped him down to his diaper. He didn't mind a bit. He later took a tour of the neighborhood in his minimal attire.

We started with one color. I poured it out on a paper plate, and gave him a small roller brush. I let him continue with this one color until he asked for the next. I let him pick out each color. I gave him no instruction on how or where to paint (except that he couldn't paint on the brick!). And as we added in a new color, I left the other colors so he could go back and forth. The only decisions I made were the types of brushes assigned to each color.

Here's the first color. I wish these pictures could relay how proud he was of each and every stroke. He'd paint a little. "Dare, purr-tet." Paint a little more. Heidi Sage and I had the best time watching this masterpiece unfold.

A little blue with a flat bursh. A little brown with a sponge brush. And a little red with an art brush.


Things really started getting messy with the red. Clinton kept looking at me as if he should be getting in trouble. I just let him continue, dying to see what our finished product was going to look like!

Rodney came home just as Clinton was finishing up. We both just stood amazed at what our son had done. May not be much to anyone else, but to us it was a masterpiece. We have big plans for this one. After I visit with my art friend, DeAnn, I hope to add some finishing touches and then find it a place in our home.

Clinton celebrated by running through the neighborhood wearing his "skeewy hat" (welding helmet). As redneck as I'm sure we appeared, I had to laugh....it was funny.

As soon as Clinton's artwork finds a new home, I'll post pictures. But nothing moves very quickly in our house, don't be hoping to see it too soon!

Purr-tetly messy, crazy, and happy,