Because when you are two
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it's really fun to draw all over yourself.
This was the scene not once but twice on Sunday.
It first happened while I was on a run and Chris was hanging out. She asked him for some pens and paper, he obliged and then went back to doing the breakfast dishes while she was in the living room. When I came in the door from my run there she was - all lovely and blue hands, legs, feet.
He scooped her up and put her in the bath and scrubbed and scrubbed.
The second time it was the purple pen.
Fast forward a few hours. She and Simon were hanging out in the living room. I had gone upstairs with Chris to check on our phone line (which is having some issues) and when I came back down there she was again with writing all over her legs and her hands.
I scooped her up and put her in the bath and scrubbed and scrubbed.
And you know what my main thought was through this whole thing (besides a bit of annoyance at the scrubbing)? I was thinking how cool it is that her drawing is moving into a different phase. Some of the marks she's making on paper (and in this case on herself) are looking more like letter forms.
Not that we're in a hurry for all that...simply an observation on what is around here right now.
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80 comments
i love this! i totally can see my future all magic markered & purpley now... my little one is 14 months & she's just discovered mud... she proceeded to COVER herself the other day when we went to pick up our farm share... she could not be stopped :) needless to say i was covered and so was the car seat... but it was adorable.
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Been there. My daughter drew all over her arms. I have actually scrapped that one.
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The photo really looks good! Well captured memory and what more? it is indeed a great image to be pasted on any scrapbook! It goes with a good story! Great job Ali! :)
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to make it easier on the scrubbing, time to get washable markers :). the twos are the glorious age! :)
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Not that I'm encouraging drawing on oneself, but a really fun book for children to read is Purple, Green and Yellow by Robert Munsch. Just don't get her the super-duper-indelible-never-come-off markers!
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My nephew started out drawing on the walls, they told him not to draw on the walls, so he drew on his arms and legs etc, they told him not to draw on himself....so he then started drawing on his brothers....we finally got him to work no paper. :)
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Dear Ali,
Young children who love to use skin as canvas...is the reason God created washable markers. Take heart...the bad mother police DO NOT issue citations if you do not immediately scrub the child clean. Really it's true.
Last Christmas I gave our eighteen year old son, "The Illustrated Man" by Ray Bradbury with a laminated photo of himself wearing "human art" as a book marker. I admit...as I smiled at the photo..I wondered...why was I always so anxious to scrub those little arms and legs clean? He outgrew that phase so quickly...grab the moment Ali... they day will come much faster than you want it to, when the idea of drawing on her legs will seem ludicrous.
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I know you probably hear this all the time but... Thank you Ali. I check out your blog everyday. I love the way you communicate about your family. You have taught me so much.
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Love this, Ali!! Creativity, in any form, is wonderful!! Too bad it was on her legs!! ;)
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it doesn't stop at 2 years old. Middle and High schoolers too. Only then they are messages and drawings as gifts to and from friends. And class notes....
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Cute story and great photos. She will laugh about this someday.
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Oooooh, Ali! Years ago, before I was a Mother, I made the mistake of talking on the phone when I should have been watching a two year old child I was babysitting. When I got off the phone, the child's legs and arms were completely covered in white. She had painted herself with Liquid Paper! The child's response: Look at me! I didn't miss a spot!
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LOL! As I read the references to scrubbing, I couldn't help but think of Robert Munsch's book, "Mud Puddle". Another one for you to read to Anna!
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My sons are 16 and 9 and still draw on themselves. I foresee many tattoos in their future.
But honestly, unless you're going somewhere important, don't sweat it. When my kids were young, I gave my kids one wall they could draw on and they NEVER drew on anyone else's walls or anything else they were not allowed to draw on. And the bellybutton colored blue gave the pediatrician a good laugh. It's just not one of the things I chose to let be a battle.
I suppose that could be because I'm an artist and rarely go a day without paint, marker, ink, clay or some other sort of mess on myself.
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What better canvas! My two year old does this to herself and her brother.
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