Becoming a "yes" mom.

Cabin fever has been setting in - it's been cold and rainy and a little snowy - which means time outside is limited.  I can only take so much soulful guitar playing/singing from Abby's room and "Let's play trains together, Mama." from Finn before I want to scream.  So yesterday after lunch, as the snow was swirling like a snow globe outside, I pulled out the red and pink and purple paper, the glue sticks and markers, crayons and paints.  I spread everything over the kitchen table and challenged my children to make some creative Valentine's for their cousins (and the hound/kitty cousins, too.).  It was a painty, markery, gluey mess.  I hyperventilation 12 times.

They loved it.

It occurred to me as I was wiping Finn's fingers that they were just going to get paint on them again, so why bother.  It occurred to me that I don't need to micro-manage Abby's Valentine making - I don't need to offer suggestions, she's creative enough on her own.  I realized that I need to be more of a "Let's make a mess" mom.  I need to say yes more and no less.  Abby's constantly asking for artsy projects to do and all I ever see is the huge mess it's going to make and how to keep Finn occupied while she does whatever it is she wants to do or how to amend a project so that Finn can do it, too.  And so I usually end up just saying no.  But I need to remind myself -  even if it's every single day - that it's okay to have paint on shirts and markers on cheeks and scraps of paper all over the floor.  It's okay to let Finn practice with the scissors and to let him taste the crayons.  It's okay to give Abby some creative freedom to express herself, even if that expression includes playing with the sewing machine or Picasso-ing her way to some artwork for her wall.

It's okay to make a mess.
Being the yes mom?  That makes for really happy kids.

Cabin fever has been setting in - it's been cold and rainy and a little snowy - which means time outside is limited.  I can only take so much soulful guitar playing/singing from Abby's room and "Let's play trains together, Mama." from Finn before I want to scream.  So yesterday after lunch, as the snow was swirling like a snow globe outside, I pulled out the red and pink and purple paper, the glue sticks and markers, crayons and paints.  I spread everything over the kitchen table and challenged my children to make some creative Valentine's for their cousins (and the hound/kitty cousins, too.).  It was a painty, markery, gluey mess.  I hyperventilation 12 times.

They loved it.

It occurred to me as I was wiping Finn's fingers that they were just going to get paint on them again, so why bother.  It occurred to me that I don't need to micro-manage Abby's Valentine making - I don't need to offer suggestions, she's creative enough on her own.  I realized that I need to be more of a "Let's make a mess" mom.  I need to say yes more and no less.  Abby's constantly asking for artsy projects to do and all I ever see is the huge mess it's going to make and how to keep Finn occupied while she does whatever it is she wants to do or how to amend a project so that Finn can do it, too.  And so I usually end up just saying no.  But I need to remind myself -  even if it's every single day - that it's okay to have paint on shirts and markers on cheeks and scraps of paper all over the floor.  It's okay to let Finn practice with the scissors and to let him taste the crayons.  It's okay to give Abby some creative freedom to express herself, even if that expression includes playing with the sewing machine or Picasso-ing her way to some artwork for her wall.

It's okay to make a mess.
Being the yes mom?  That makes for really happy kids.