What amazes me most about 2022 is just how much C and G soaked up. They soaked up grief. Sadness. Confusion. Pain. I used to wish they hadn’t. Now I see. I see that taking that all in laid the path for so much more. Faith. Hope. Joy. Deep, deep love. Love that can’t be expressed by a hug or words. Love that most kids their age can’t even comprehend. So now, we hug harder. We snuggle longer. We paint on walls when maybe we shouldn’t. Because we know the other side of it all. And this side, this fleeting blink and you miss it side is meant for whatever your heart is calling for.

I express my grief through writing, but in the early months it wasn’t that way. I was back to four year old Megan, without words to comprehend or ease the pain I was going through. Looking back on it all, I think that was a gift. Because what do we do when we don’t have the words to express what’s in our heart?

We create.

And create we did.

If you are in a season of grief with your little ones, I first want to offer up the deepest of virtual hugs. I am here and I am holding you tight. I have felt the quicksand of pain, the paralysis in the morning and not wanting to wake up. But your littles are feeling things too, and together I know you can find a small slice of healing through art.

Painting

I always felt like I couldn’t paint. I don’t know why. At some point, someone told me or I felt within myself that I wasn’t “good” at it. What a travesty. Have you seen Jackson Pollock’s paintings? They are splashes of paint. LOTS of paint. Squiggles. Swirls. Scribbles. I show my kids his work again and again. Why? Because it doesn’t look like traditional art. Traditional art is a lie. Art is what we feel. It isn’t just beautiful. In fact a lot of the time it is messy like Pollock paintings. Ever want to just scream? Grab a paintbrush and throw paint on a canvas instead. It is so freeing. And the same can be said for our littles.

Let them paint, whatever and however they want. Put them in the bathtub if you are worried about the mess but above all honor their feelings. One day Charlie sheepishly asked me if he could paint on his wall. I paused before saying anything and really considered it. Would it hurt anyone? Could we paint over it in the future? No and yes. I told him to go for it. The picture below is what he created. If I had told him no instead of yes I never would have been able to glimpse at this piece of his heart.

Diamond Art, Perler Beads, Paint by Number and Other Tiny Concentrated Art

If you have a kiddo who is out of the toddler phase of life, I really want you to look for tiny art. I call it tiny art but I don’t really know what the official term would be. This type of art is similar to building a giant puzzle. It requires lots of concentration and gives a huge sense of accomplishment once it’s finished. C in particular has become obsessed with tiny art and loves incorporating his angel brother into his projects. We even tracked down a company that you can send in a custom photo and have it turned into a diamond art project. Here it is below.

Collages and Photo Projects

Do you print pictures? If you don’t, this is your cue to start printing them. And not just for you. Every time I get pictures printed, I make a double set just for my kids. I call them project photos, and they are allowed to do whatever they want with them.

Cut them up and make a door tag? Sure.

Put glitter all over them and turn them into a Christmas ornament? Yes!

Grab a huge piece of poster paper and let them create a collage.

As a young kid, teenager, and young adult I found such comfort in collaging. I would sit in my room for hours cutting up photos and designing them into a poster. Now I see my children get the same comfort from their collages. They proudly display them and it honors whatever they are feeling in their heart.

Nature Mandalas

In the spring we have flowers. In the summer we have fruits and vegetables. In the fall we have leaves. In the winter, were have icicles, twigs and rocks. Put all of these things together to create mandalas while you are exploring nature. “A mandala signifies the transformation of a universe of suffering into one of joy.” They are traditionally circular, but if I have learned anything about art, it’s that there are no rules. Grab a handful of petals, get a large flat space or paper and start designing.

Writing

One early morning as I was typing away on my computer, C slipped into the room. Blanket wrapped around his head and a twinkle in his eye. “Mom, I have to tell you my dream!” I squeezed him tight and then pulled open my notebook. He knows I always write his dreams. And I should write more of their stories. Just because our kiddos don’t have the technicalities of writing figured out doesn’t mean they don’t have stories that can be dictated by us! In fact, both of the stories I have written began with my two kiddos. They are the main characters and some of the words came straight from their mouths.

Sending love,

Megan