Argh! My 4.5 year old colored all over his walls!!! - Page 2

[sevenkids]

Originally Posted by aja-belly

yeah, i agree.

also, i don't think posterboard is going to help the fact that his art bothers you and you think it looks like crap.

Oh, for blankety-blank's sake.


OP, you handled it well. I wouldn't paint though, Mr Clean Magic Eraser will get it all off, much quicker and with less mess, and your little graffiti artist can help.

[aja-belly]

Originally Posted by aja-belly

the origional poster stated that the problem was that the scribbles bothered her and she thought they looked like crap. i was just pointing out that posterboard wouldn't help that any. it was her words.

i don't see a problem with re-directing his creativity or even having him help paint over it (after all, it's not his or your property to decorate).

i don't see a problem with challenging house rules and finding the reason behind them (how the hell else can you find a workable solution?). i don't understand why you would think it was innappropriate.

[mistymama]

It's always nice to know Zoe and Alex are keeping up with eachother Melissa!

I'm going to have to try the magic eraser because I have no idea what paint shade our house is painted, and the landlord said to give her a jar and she "might" give me some spare paint. It didn't sound hopeful!

I'm really not interested in defending the fact that 1. My nearing 5 year old knows not to draw on walls and 2. That I believe it's a decent rule to have in place, for multiple reasons.

I honestly wanted to know if my response was too punitive, not if I should suddenly grow a love for black marker marks in the walls of our home. But anyway, I do appreciate all the responses and for those that do disagree with me, no harm. :

[Autumn Mama]

Originally Posted by mistymama

I figured this was probably more of an impulse control issue .. he found the pen and most likely didn't have the impulse control to NOT write on the wall when it was so very tempting.

In our house I *try* to keep the art supplies organized in containers for my five year old son to use. They are in our kitchen where he can use them at the table "supervised" while I do other stuff. He has a specific place to be creative and this helps him for the most part to channel his creativity there.

I reminded him that we are not allowed to draw on the walls, only on paper...I told him that this afternoon, after school, he and I were going to have to get the supplies and fix the wall.

I think this teaches him that you follow through with what you allow/don't allow in your home, showing him consistency and that he can trust you and learn from you how to respond to a mistake and how to repair it.

We were planning on doing an art project this afternoon, but I told him that the messy wall is bothering me, so I want us to repair the wall before we do any art projects. He fussed about this, which to me made it feel a bit punitive .. but at the same time, I don't think it's unfair to expect us to fix this mess before doing other things. The scribbled wall does bother me, and I wont be able to really relax until it's cleaned up.

I think since you share the space you have a right to your personal level of cleanliness and esthetic appeal.

Is this fair? Am I being too punitive?

This seemed appropriate to my understanding of your situation. Sometimes it is more important to seize the teachable moment and follow through. He will learn that you mean what you say and how to matter-of-factly restore damage done.

[chfriend]

Love love love that magic eraser. Even gets pencil off which has been the hardest for me!