I was very brave today. I let Baby Bug paint with real acrylic paints on a real canvas. It wasn’t part of the plan but I was so into my own paintings I just wanted to buy a few more minutes so I could finish up. Of course that was the ONLY thing she wanted to do so I let her. Anything to keep her quiet for ten more minutes.

Normally, I wouldn’t even think of letting Baby Bug touch my paint. For starters: “grown-up paint” doesn’t always wash out of clothes (or the couch or the rug or anything else that might happen to be handy). I’ve ruined so many of my favorite outfits it’s not even funny. Also, it’s expensive! Every time I go to the paint store to buy one tube of red or yellow or green, I always walk out of the store holding my heart because I why do three tubes of paint cost $100!!! Yet I can’t sell a painting for more then $50? Why is painting such an expensive hobby?!! And lastly, canvases aren’t cheap either. Thankfully I’ve finally figured out I can order them online for a significant discount. (I just want to add that I hate our local art store and will boycott them whenever I can.)

I’ve let my nieces paint with my paint and canvases before and regretted it because they covered the canvas with one color and then covered it again with another color. I think they would have kept on painting the canvas over and over again if I didn’t call it a day. In a way that is kind of cool because painting really is about the “process” and not the end result but I just have a hard time letting go of my paint and canvases. I’m greedy I guess.

But then I thought… this is my daughter. She’s going to paint. She wants to paint. Who am I to stop her? If I want her to grow up to be a great artist I have to give her all the tools. Who cares if she’s only two.

Also, I just wanted her to stop whining! Anything! Here, have the keys to my car! Just let mommy paint for a minute.

But she did really well. She didn’t make too horrible of a mess and I kind of like this painting. I think I might even hang it on the wall. I have a feeling she has quite a career ahead of her… it’s going to be fun anyway.

Thankfully everything washed off and the couch made it through without any hand
prints… this time. The mess was totally worth it because I got to paint too!