I am smart.
Simply brilliant.
This was the optimistic thought bouncing around my head one day after my son brought me a picture that he drew for me. I admired it, oohed and awed over it, and generally made quite the to-do about it. And then I attempted to hand it back. "oh no Mommy, its yours. I made it for you." I felt my smile falter for an instant but caught myself immediately. I was imagining all those precious drawings I already have. The ones that need their own room... or house... or paper storage facility.
Don't misunderstand me...I love these creative endeavors of my children. It is just the age old question of; "what do I do with all this crap artwork" that gives me pause. So I thought that I must have been channeling Einstein, when I coolly replied "oh I love it, what a gorgeous picture. Will you keep it for me, so it stays safe?" He agreed readily and ran to put it in an undisclosed location.
Here is the success of my proposal.
Anthony keeps all of the drawings that he makes for me in his room and I never see them again. Any overflow he may have, is then passed on to Irene, who usually will give them to daddy for safekeeping. Daddy, who is infinitely nicer than me, accepts every paper gift, from Anthony, by announcing "I am going to keep this to put in my locker at work." I don't want to say that Daddy is a bold faced liar but I personally know that Daddy should have enough artwork, by now, to paper the palacio de bellas artes.....
Inside and out.....
Twice!
Irene and I now need to safeguard all of the artwork that Anthony commissions for his own private collection.
Irene and Anthony have to keep the little drawings that daddy makes for them.
Daddy and I keep all of the work that Irene makes because: "oh look, doesn't that kind of look like a circle"---"oh look her first circle"---"oh look her first page full of circles".
Now luckily I don't draw so no one has to save anything of mine...but I am a compulsive list maker and I found that if I leave any list unattended that I will find little hoarded piles of them in both Anthony and Irene's room.
Note to self:
TO DO TODAY
1.remove all "to do" lists from children's bedrooms.
2.figure out new plan for storing children's artwork.
A little art sampling of the maestro (dog at right is Daddy's handiwork)