About a month ago, we had the grand idea to buy S her very own sketch pad. Most mornings, she wakes up and wants to color. I started feeling bad about all the paper we were going through (sorry, trees!) and thought this was a good way to focus her drawings more. I've been really impressed by the things she's been drawing and especially proud because I don't have a single artistic bone in my body! I've always wished I could draw or paint, but what I visualize in my head never seems to translate well onto paper. C, on the other hand, is a great artist (though he won't admit it) so I'm really glad that she seems to be following in his footsteps.
You know what I love most about her artistic side? I love that it's something that SHE loves to do. It is something she decided she could get the hang of, and not something I forced her into. I love the surprising parts of parenting that are like this. Seeing your children develop interests of their own. That's just a really cool thing, you know? Sometimes as she walks by me, humming to herself, with an idea in mind of what she's going to do next, I find myself thinking, "Holy cow! That's a real-life small person right there!" With real-life likes and dislikes! Likes French fries, but doesn't like potatoes. Likes to pretend, but dislikes dressing-up. Likes (loves) seaweed, but doesn't like grapes. Likes to help me cook but dislikes (hates) the vacuum.
Now, hopefully she can get on board with field hockey. Because, yeah yeah yeah, I want her to have her own interests. But, field hockey is non-negotiable.