A Little Mess in the Name of Fun

This past weekend, our goal was to have fun with The Brothers. It was my birthday. It was sunny. The Brothers are at an amazing age. With fun in mind, we decided to let the boys get out some finger paints and get crafty by painting a huge box that we had gotten that day. They were thrilled!

We picked finger paint for many reasons. Shane LOVES to paint right now using any medium he can; sponges, brushes, straws, hands, fingers, feet. I think the creative freedom, colors, and feel of the paint draw Shane in. Shane is also a blend of a kinesthetic  and reading preferred learner so the boy absorbs every bit of his activity from color blending, movement, and texture. Keith loved his first try at finger painting too. It was a great sensory activity for our little one year old. Painting was a great choice for both kids. 

With all the fun and learning that took place while painting our box, a great deal of a mess came along with it. Shane managed to paint his hands, the drawers, the floor, and the dishwasher. Keith kept trying to eat the paint. I was so delighted seeing the boys happily creating and doing but inside a little bit of me shuddered at the mess. I often have that little voice inside of me that says what a chore this is going to be to clean up later but lately, like when they were painting, I am learning to silence that voice. I only get to go through childhood with my kids once. Sometimes I need to let in a little bit of chaos and a whole lot of mess in the name of fun. Sometimes I am going to spend a little more time cleaning paint up off the floor at night but I get to go to sleep with a sweet and wonderful memory we created together. So this weekend we painted and it was a happy, glorious mess.