Written by Libby Blumberg, Contributor
I am reminded almost daily of my desire to be an open minded mommy when it comes to my daughter’s artistic choices. There are a few things I have to keep in mind so I am actually helpful with her creation, as opposed to showing her how I would do it. Just the other day was no exception.
We were “renovating” her fairy house, made originally at a birthday party, with frosting, marshmallows, gumdrops, pretzels, and graham crackers. Thank goodness I was successful in explaining that the food needed to go, but the house could be redecorated. The shell was made from an inverted plastic tub attached to a piece of wrapped cardboard, with a little cut out for the door. So cute!
So, after enjoying a few stale gumdrops for the next day or two, I carefully cleaned the shell and we began our renovation. I thought we could use play dough, but it didn’t stick to the plastic. We kept it simple. Stickers. You can never go wrong with stickers. But here are a few reminders that came into play.
2.) She might just quit most of the way through and make you think it needs more. She has the attention span of a gnat. There might be empty spots that you are just dying to fill in. Nope. Don’t do it. It’s perfect.
3.) It’s a toddler’s prerogative to change her mind. Even though she wanted to make a cute little fairy to put inside, “her mommy eating a donut” was the final artistic choice. Perfect.
Our renovated fairy house is proudly displayed in the living room, already losing some of its stickers. Even so, it still maintains its importance. It’s just perfect.
There are some really fun fairy house DIY ideas on Pinterest. Check them out, try them out, and remember, no matter what, it will be perfect.
1.) Remember that this is 100% her deal. No matter what, this house is going to look exactly how she wants it. And it will be perfect.
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Libby is a SAHM with one daughter, Emma, and husband, Jeff. She is a blogger, business owner, and active community member in the Town of Nocatee in Ponte Vedra, FL.
Well, from my perspective, it’s perfect 🙂
Well, thank you. I will tell her. 🙂
Perspective is definitely subjective. I think she did a great job with her house. Thank you for this friendly reminder that we need to enjoy the moments we have.
You’re welcome. I need that reminder every day.
It is beautiful! We always let our son be creative and that whatever he created was indeed… perfect. 🙂
Would love to see his creations some time. 🙂
As a very creative person I find I have to pull back and let my kids do their own thing as well.
Yep. It’s definitely a life lesson.
Wonderful reminder. We expect so much of ourselves as adults that we tend to do the same to our children, stunting their creative expression.
That’s a great reminder and I think it’s perfect!
What a great little fairy house. They never turn out as we would have envisioned, but the little artists have ideas all their own. Our last renovation was to add a swing made out of an applesauce container for our fairies.
Well she is just adorable and that house is so cute.
When it comes to my grandkids, I want them to be creative with no limits. They can color outside the lines if that’s what they want to do and they can make their crafts how ever they want.
It’s definitely tempting sometimes to put the final touches on things. Bravo to you for letting it be as perfect as she left it.
Perspective honestly depends on the person. I think she did a great job on her house. Looks perfect to me!
I think she did a great job! My youngest (4) does this a lot, especially when he’s coloring.
My kids love making simple DIY crafts like this and they are at the ages where they can now do everything unassisted. Despite all of that my Type A personality still has a hard time letting go.