Markers.

Kids love ‘em.

I don’t.

I really, really dislike markers.

Seasoned moms know why I dislike markers without much explanation. For the rest of my readers, note that markers are meant to be used on paper to create art. But when they’re in the hands of little ones, markers are suddenly a tool for art work on furniture, self, clothes, siblings, wall, and any other surface that is not pre-approved.

Yes, even the “washable” markers; because it’s not so easy to take your drywall and put it in the washing machine.

In short, markers + little people = homemade vandalism.

Yes, I’m being a tad dramatic. But note the title of this post, and sympathize with me for a bit longer.

After initially purchasing markers and discovering firsthand their destructive potential, I banished them from our house for a while until recently when my 6 year old became more artistically inclined in a constructive way. He began drawing some lovely drawings on some newly purchased paper on an easel. No problemo! Even applause and praise and joy.

Until today… when my two year old daughter, unsupervised, grabbed hold of a nice purple marker and in a matter of seconds drew some big concentric circles on a chair and a rocker glider cushion.

Remember: for two years we’ve had no such incidents (though pencils and pens have made occasional appearances on walls). But that was only because I hid the markers until recently. As soon as they came out into plain view, our furniture suffered. And my desire for a neat immaculate appearing home suffered.

Second story, though related: I was at a friend’s house for a BBQ this weekend and she told me that earlier that morning she had allowed her twin three year old girls to play in the mud. The girls had a blast and by the time they were done playing, they were covered with mud from head to toe. I told my friend that she’s a good mom and then confessed that I’m such a clean freak that I would never allow my kids to do that. In addition, I’d hate to clean the kids up afterwards.

Markers and mud. These two topics got me thinking. It’s true that I dislike having my furniture marked on, but I need to accept that this as a fact of life when I have four little ones, ages 6 and under. I need to loosen up a little because after all, furniture is replaceable. I should be happy that my two year old can draw perfectly round circles and that she picked her favorite color of purple.

However, this does not mean that the children can have a hay day with the markers and draw wherever they please. As much as I need to let go of my preference for neatness, I need to teach the children to properly use the markers. I have instructed the oldest one to be responsible for his markers and not to leave them out so that the younger ones can grab hold of them. As for the younger children, the solution is not to hide the markers like I did until now. The key is to use the markers with them with a lot of supervision. In the end, using markers and having a non-marked up furniture can co-exist.

As for mud. . . . . I’m still working on it. Even though I’m not fond of letting the kids play in the mud, I know rolling in the mud is what great memories are made of. My neat-freak tendency hinders the innocent and pure enjoyment of mud play. I am sure that my children would enjoy rolling in the mud and decorating themselves with it.

In the end, having little ones around means I can’t have a neat and clean house as I’d prefer, but the joy of having the little ones around take priority over my personal preferences. Rather than being freaked out by the messes, I’m learning that I need to laugh a little and enjoy their artwork even if it’s drawn on a medium that is not to my liking.