It started out small. When my son was maybe two or three years old he got his hands on a marker and doodled on his bedroom wall. His dad is an artist, and we're both a little bohemian, so we let the doodle stay. Soon my son drew another doodle, and another, and another. Over the next several years he covered his walls with drawings. He drew rocket ships and space aliens and things I couldn't identify.
Just before his 10th birthday these drawings were painted over. Now my son's walls are simply white (with a blue ceiling above). All I have left are the photographs.
Why Would You Let Your Kid Draw on the Wall?
Sometimes you think, "why not?" When we thought through the consequences of letting our son draw on the walls, all we could really think of was that we'd have to paint over them someday. Well … no big deal. We'd have to repaint those walls eventually anyhow.
What the Hell Is THAT?
Just as an aside, is it me, or does that thing over on the left totally look like a penis? WTF, kid. It's supposed to be a shooting spaceship. I spent years pretending not to notice there was a giant cock on the wall.
Only a Parent Would Find These Drawings Cute
Probably? But I do. I can see my son's personality in these scribbles.
No, He Didn't Draw on Everything Else
We did go through a brief "training" phase where we had to teach our son where NOT to draw. But that's something parents have to do anyway — draw on the paper, in your coloring book. Don't draw on the furniture, and Mommy's books.
It Did Not Turn Him Into Picasso
I'm not going to claim that allowing my son to draw on his walls turned him into a creative genius. But it did teach him to be a little more open minded.
It Was His Decision to Paint Over the Drawings
Every so often I would mention the walls. If we painted over the drawings, maybe we could get this cool wall decal! Or this awesome Minecraft periodic table of elements poster! But I left it up to him. I knew he'd want to paint over the drawings someday. And sure enough, he finally was, this year. I don't miss them, but I'm glad we'll always have the photos.
