A lot. No pictures, because in the heat of my anger in these moments, I wasn't thinking about grabbing my camera. Gabriel LOVES to draw. Like, unceasingly. He could color all day long if I let him. So we have quite a few crayon and marker mishaps.
- Before I had the chance to hang up our canvas painting of Jesus, it was leaning against the wall. Now, he has a face full of green crayon. I would like to think he has a sense of humor about these sort of things...
- Black, red and blue scribbles along the hallway walls and every time he walks past these, he stops and looks really angry and says "Oh NO!"
- Snuck a pink crayon into his nap one day and when I went to get him out of bed, the wall against his crib slats was covered in pink including the teething rail, some of his sheets, the phone jack...
- Went to pick up Nate from work the other day and while I had my back turned, Gabe had procured a black Expo marker and scribbled large black swirls all over the white walls. I shrieked and sat him firmly on the couch in the break room. I grabbed some cleaning solution and started scrubbing and luckily it came off. Satisfied, I turned around just in time to see Gabriel holding down the blue lever on the water cooler. Water was flooding all over the floor and into the surge protectors with the Tv, DVD player, etc plugged in. When we turned the outlets over, water literally came pouring out.
- I had just finished sewing his Halloween costume and was trying it on him, when he grabbed a red marker, uncapped it, and slashed a mark on his new costume in one fell swoop. Luckily for him, it came out. After I screamed and scared the poop out of him.
Now I know what you're thinking, "Rachel! Take the crayons away!" Yeah, I've already thought of that, and I don't know where they keep coming from. I feel guilty because he will sit and fill an entire notebook up with drawings and so I feel like I should encourage his drawing, but at the expense of my and others property?
Today, I realized it was awfully quiet so I went into his room and found him standing in a pile of raw spaghetti. He has pulled a box of Pasta Roni out of the cabinets and opened it in his room. There was spaghetti everywhere! He gave me a big smile and said "Cereal!" So I made him clean it up but every time he took a step to pick the pasta up, he would shatter the noodles into tiny pieces. Aye caramba.
I'm looking for a little advice. I was thinking about buying him some Crayola Wonder Markers for Christmas to cut back on the wall, furniture messes... or maybe attaching a white board to the wall down low in his room? Any thoughts? I really want to let him color because he loves it so much but it's too messy at this point.
6 comments:
I've seen houses with white boards all along the "toddler zone"... Also, I've heard those Crayola markers work really well (the ones that only draw on paper)... maybe even big poster boards along the walls in his room.... or just invest in A LOT of magic erasers :) He's so cute, I can't imagine he would ever get in trouble :) LOL
That is amazing that he loves to draw that much!! Lyla loves to draw too, so we bought the really expensive washable crayons that come off of virtually every surface with a wet washcloth. We also explained that she could only have her crayons while in her high chair (because we were experiencing a more mild version of your predicatment).
But an occasional pen does escape us, and we do have pen marks on our new couches, the walls, on the stack of bills that need to be sent out, the family hymn book... you know the usually places!
love the blog!
lol, I only laugh b/c i have been there! However, i have to admit none of my three kids have had that great of an urge to draw over anything and everything! you know i have heard of people actually using there kids art as decor for the walls in their homes...that apparently should not be hard for you! Good luck with this, maybe buy him a nice art stand, my kids love theirs!
Once I drew a purple stripe at shoulder level around the entire house. It's in our blood.
What about chalkboard paint on a wall and chalk? Actually, that would probably just communicate that it's okay to draw on the walls.
No idea. Good luck! Good thing he's too cute to kill!
oh rachel I have a hard time not laughing... only bc I so know and so have been there lol! you have a fiesty little boy and we totally get it!
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