As I was thinking about Sam this morning, I had a flashback to his younger years and his writing on walls and anything else in front of him.
Some of you are in the young years of your little ones, taking markers or crayons and writing in places you don’t want them to. How many of you have found that marker color on your couch? Table? Chair? Sorry, this isn’t a ‘how to remove’ that kind of chat, lol.
Neurotypical or special needs – little ones all have a time when they decide to try to write on something other than paper or a coloring book.
When my Sam was younger, I remember going through that phase with him, and someone suggested creating a “spot” for him, all his own, if you would – like an area marked out on a wall or a chalkboard, making their own “space” that they could create on.
It turns out, our “space” for him would be the back of his bedroom door. We would re-direct him to his door whenever we would catch him trying to color somewhere he shouldn’t. We would say something like, “You can’t color ‘here,’ but you can color ‘here’ (the back of his door). ‘Here’ you can create all you want. Surprisingly, it worked!
The back of Sam’s door was to become a work of art! The house didn’t get defaced, and no one saw it unless, of course, they went into his room. It would also serve as our measuring wall as the kids grew, where we measured and noted their names & heights.
Many years later, Sam outgrew the need to draw on his wall. It was the day before cell phones and taking instant pictures, so I have no pictures. I wanted to cut out a portion of his door to keep his artwork, but my hubby didn’t think that was a good idea.
Paint now covers the area that once captured my son’s “creative writing,”… but the memory remains. I hope some of you young moms create that space, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised! 😊
SHEILA BOUCHARD 