Hand Prints in the Background

Over the course of having this blog, I've changed the way it looks a few times, because change is good and after awhile I get tired of having the same old background I guess. But, what has stayed the same consistently is me putting some form of hand prints or finger painting motif there in the background. Occasionally, I think about getting rid of the hand prints and maybe going with something more sleek and designer and grown up. But, for one thing, this is a blog for and about my kids so I want it to look...well, kiddish for lack of a better word. And also I think having hand prints in the background sort of speaks to me about the kind of childhood I want the kids to have and the kind of mother I hope to be. I think Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus says it best - she always is telling her class, "Go out, take chances, make mistakes and get dirty!" Because is there any other way to really learn then trying things out for yourself and really experiencing things? I don't think so. So I strive to be that mom who isn't always just tugging their kids along by the hand telling them to hurry along to the next adult centered activity. If I can, I like to let them dawdle and look at their world around them, let them jump in a puddle for the joy of splashing, and hand out finger paints to them without worrying about the god-awful mess that I will inevitably end up cleaning up shortly thereafter. Now does this mean I always achieve this? That I'm always kid-centered and every time she asks I let Bree paint messily to her hearts content? That I never tell my kids to hurry, get impatient, or steer them widely around a puddle because I'm thinking more about if it will ruin their clothing than how much fun they'll have doing it? Well no, I'm human and I'm not Mary Poppins either. (You know, practically perfect in every way.) But, I do think Mary Poppins is pretty wise... a spoonful of sugar really does make the medicine go down a little easier and that you can look for magic and fun in every day things, like taking the time to go fly a kite, if you'll allow me to speak in cliches and metaphors. Point being, I truly hope that when the kids are grown and are looking back at their childhoods, that what we'll both remember, what we'll see more than anything else, are fun, messy, colorful, and glorious child-sized hand prints running all through the background.