Art and Crafts.....

I love arts and crafts. No if's, and's or but's. I love coming up with new ideas to do with the kids and I try to have a steady supply of arts and crafts stuff around. There is something so awesome about watching a child's imagination become reality in the things that they make. I just love seeing that! Throwing down a whole bunch of stuff that they can mold or create with or whatever right in front of them and their eyes just light up! No matter what it is too! Glue, paint, crayons, stickers, foamy things, colored paper, tin foil, empty paper rolls, googlie eyes, clay, pom poms, glitter, things that were going to get thrown out anyway, scraps of cloth, pasta... I mean seriously. Whatever! They love that shit!

I've had play dates at the house and my children's little friends would come over and we'd work on a project or something. At the end of the day, when the friend's mom would come to pick them up, here is this child at the door proudly holding up his/ her creation (that may or may not be dry yet... sorry....) Sometimes we get the, "YAY! HOW HAPPY!!!!" from the mom. And other times.... The look of terror, then the weak smile and the "Oh.... How... nice..." while more then likely they are thinking, "You BITCH! Now I'm going to have glitter all on the inside of my car and that paint is going to get everywhere and I'm going to have to put this piece of crap up somewhere in the house...." Their eyes glaze over as their child gleefully explains all the details of their creation and I'm left shaking my head.

You can ALWAYS tell which are the kids who don't get to do arts and crafts at home because they ask, "Are you SURE we should be doing this?" or they out and out say, "Mom doesn't let me do this at home because she says it'll make a mess...." The first time I heard it, I was in shock. Because it'll make a mess? Well.... Duh.... Isn't that, like, a kid's JOB? Why would you deny them arts and fucking crafts? They're KIDS!

So, then I get this clueless mom who says shit like, "Wow! You're pretty brave to be doing stuff like this in the house...." and gives me the look of, "Gee.... thanks..... For ruining the inside of my car and having to hear my kid ask me if WE could do shit like this!"

Depending on my mood.... Nah... No it's not. I always reply the same way and it never really comes across as "too nice".... "Well, the children REALLY enjoy it and I'm not a lazy slouch. Some paper towels and some water, it all cleans up quick and nice.... Besides, memories like this last a lifetime, don't you agree?"

Yeah.... The kids like me, but the moms? Yeah, the moms... Not so much...