Whenever I see my mom friends post pictures of their kids arts and crafts projects on Facebook, I inwardly cringe. NOT because I don't want to see their little angels wonderful creations... but because, compared to my kids art, their kids art is so perfect. The cutting, the pasting, the drawing freehand, the use of a glue gun.... wait!!! The use of a glue gun? In a 3 year old? Ok... so maybe those kids get a little help from mom. Or maybe a lot of help.

 

To me, it is so important to let The Cat and The Bug create what they want to create. Self expression is so important. I never tell them they are doing a craft wrong or that maybe the tree doesn't look so much like a tree afterall. If I do it for them, correct their mistakes do more than gently guide them, I am telling them that what they are doing or making isn't right. And that is not a message that any parent should send to a young child. I would rather have boatloads of hideous art that was made by my kids than a whole bunch of art I made for them.

 

Today, I let them go to town with some finger paints in fall colors and asked them to draw Fall Trees. This is what they made.... on their own :-)