A word of advice

Just file this away for future reference...

If the day is very, very hot and your children are at loose ends, and you happen to be at the craft store picking up a few more supplies for your preschool curriculum, do not under any circumstances also buy your developmentally older children paint-by-numbers to pass the time. Do not do this even if the disregulated child you have with takes a sudden interest in them and thinks it looks like something he would enjoy. Just turn around and make the few purchases you actually came for.

Because if you don't, you will be reminded how dreadful it is to deal with a frustrated child who is an extreme perfectionist. And the fact that the painting does not look like the picture, even though only four spaces have been painted in, will undoubtedly be your fault. Your fault for allowing him to choose an obviously defective kit. Your fault that the colors do not match exactly. Your fault that he cannot paint like the computer generated image. And when you try to help him, he will get angry with you all over again.

It will not turn out to be the fun distraction you had planned.

Some days you can't win.

Comments

Carla said…
Future reference it is. I have a 2 year old who is already exhibiting perfectionist tendencies and a spouse that is a perfectionist to the core. I'll try to remember this post.
Anonymous said…
I so agree, especially if you try to do it as an adult, it never looks like the image on the box.

The boxes do work if you are doing cross stitches or other type of sewing project, but if it isn't already painted on the material what color it is to be, counting can be hard and also extremely frustrating if one spot is accidentally moved over/skipped. Again its the parents fault.

This blog is so true about so many things. I laugh as I see myself and my own experience running through it.

At are house we have a phrase, " playing the blame game" when some one starts getting frustrated and blaming everything on another. It helps as parents for us to not feel so stressed when we can just tell each other when a child is "playing the blame game".

Elizabeth L
sandwichinwi said…
Lordy. My life.

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