Coloring in the Lines

The other day while driving my niece instructed her 3 year old cousin to be sure to stay within the lines while coloring.  I ALMOST CAME TO A SCREECHING HALT!!  What kind of madness was this 8 year peddling?   Who was she working for?  What system had she bought into?  Okay, clearly I needed to calm down.  My sweet niece meant no harm.  She is merely a victim of her environment and I am always the mother who rocks the establishment!  While I encouraged her to allow my little one to color wherever she wanted I couldn't help but wonder why is coloring in the lines a sign of success and competence?

On an academic level do we teach coloring in the lines as a means of eye/hand coordination or is it teach about boundaries?  Artsitically the black lines are the outline of the picture and allow the colors to stand out even more - but this still does not help me understand why it is so important to color within the lines!

Coloring itself is a relaxing and freeing activitiy and everyone should enjoy it on their own level (especially adults).  Many times as parents under the guise of showing our children the "right" way,  we often block the creative process or find it difficult to accept their art work just as it is.  Inside or outside of the lines, the important thing is to participate and enjoy the creative process!!!

Reasons to Give Thanks

When your child is given a gift as the parent our first thing is to make sure they thank the gift giver.  We would never want anyone to say our children have no manners or worse - they are ungrateful.  That kind of thought would knock us out of the running for PARENT OF THE YEAR!

So in order for us to stay in the running let's demonstrate the art of giving thanks - regularly!

Real fast name five reasons to give thanks -here are mine for today

1. connecting with other creative people.
2. a supportive family 
3. making a new friend this week 
4. completing a task 
5. the breath I breathe 
6. pleasant memories - okay that was one to grow on!!

Want to change the direction of your day?  Give thanks!