Body Art

Since Keilana was an only child until age five, she had to be really creative when it came to the blame game. Being the only small person around doesn’t bode well when something gets broken or spilled or drawn on. Especially drawn on. Big people sometimes do those other things, but they rarely go crazy with the Magic Markers. One day I found two year-old Keilana completely covered head-to-toe with ink. When I demanded to know why she had colored all over herself, she said that she hadn’t. When I got my best indignant mother voice going and asked if she didn’t draw on herself who did, she pointed at my mom’s dog and said, “Rary did it.” The dog? The dog used its non-opposable-thumb-having paws to color all over the toddler? Sure. I have discovered over the years that my attitude toward body art is flexible. With Scarlett being in color-on-everything-even-herself mode, I am back where unfettered marker use is not allowed. We’ve laid down the rule for Scarlett: only on paper, not your body. One evening she was trying to be good, but her resolve waned and the skin decorating started. When I took the pens away, instead of throwing a fit, Scarlett came over, pointed to my ankle tattoo, and said, “Only on paper!” Busted. Every parent thinks their child is a genius, but mine is an evil genius. In Robert Munsch’s Purple, Green and Yellow, another diabolical little girl gets her marker-art on. Lord, help us.

http://www.amazon.com/Purple-Yellow-Annikins-Robert-Munsch/dp/1554511135

http://robertmunsch.com/purple-green-and-yellow/