when bad things happen to good art

Kids. They are beautiful and wonderful and a gift. And also they are balls of destruction rolling through your house breaking and dirtying everything in sight. This is often frustrating to me, but never as much as when my sweet daughter decided she wanted to "add a flower" to the portrait I was working on of her.

She used my 4B pencil (of course!) and went straight through the eye I had just detailed. It was such a heavy line that it made an indentation in the paper.

She cried and said she just wanted to help and said she was sorry. I kissed her and told her it was okay but that she is not allowed to touch Mama's art. I told her if she wants to draw to just let me know and I will get her her own paper and pencils. Then I put the picture away and walked away from it. I didn't get it back out for months, I was so upset that I had left it out with the charcoals right there and accessible for my three year old to find.

I hadn't done much art in years and the kids weren't used to having all those enticing supplies out in the open. I didn't even talk to them about it being a hands off area. I wasn't mad at Hazel, she didn't know, I was mad at myself.

When I finally got it back out I was able to erase most of the damage, but there will always be a faint line. I didn't feel so terrible about it anymore and I am able now to work on it without getting upset at all. And, more importantly, I have learned my lesson and am much more careful with where I leave things and talking to the kids about it.