I’ve mentioned Max’s artistic flare before. The kid is pretty talented in my opinion, and if I thought that all of you readers (who are not related to him) could stomach my incessant gushing over his creations, I’d probably post about it daily.
One of my favorite things about his passion for art is that he is constantly creating things—pictures, puzzles, games, letters, books—for his loved ones. He truly has a generous little soul.
Tonight Max and I are alone. Ryan and Christian are cheering the Jazz and I am forcing myself to knuckle-down, buckle-down and work my hiney off. Max has been keeping himself busy in the kitchen with his favorite channel (Noggin) and all his art supplies. Minutes ago he walked in where I’m working and announced that he had a surprise for me. I was directed to close my eyes while he walked to my side.
“OK. You can open your eyes.”
“Wow! Is that for me?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“I love it! It’s very neat! Tell me about it.”
{Quick interjection—”Tell me about it” is a very good way to talk to kids about their art. This keeps the shame/embarrassment/confusion that is sometimes associated with interpreting their art the wrong way. For example, you might think you are looking at a picture of your child on a horse in front of a rainbow, when in fact he/she has drawn Hannah Montana fighting an army of angry squids on the back of a Great Dane. The point: you’ll NEVER guess right, so don’t guess. How do I know this? MANY. WRONG. GUESSES.}
So, when I invite him to tell me about it, he simply says, “It’s Happy Napkin Legs.”
Yes, of course, our old friend Happy Napkin Legs. He’s married to Dirty Dishrag Elbows. How could I forget?
