This past week I had the pleasure to sit and color with some five- and six-year-old children. We sat in small chairs at a short-legged table. Scattered along the table were boldly colored plastic travel containers meant to hold bars of soap, but which instead held crayons, both broken and whole.
Our coloring sheets were all winter themed. Snowmen, mittens, penguins in stocking caps, penguins ice skating, a snow globe filled with miniature log cabins.
We chose our colors carefully and kept our eyes on our papers because we each had a vision for our piece. But, of course, we talked — we were, after all, a community of coloring companions.
Inspired by the picture of mittens, we talked about gloves and mittens. They’re the same thing, said one child. Actually, I said, with mittens all your fingers stay together, and with gloves each finger goes in a separate finger. The child kept coloring her mittens, and said, Yes, but they’re the same thing. I let it go. She will learn about the differences between gloves and mittens soon enough. No need to rush these things.
We talked about our artwork. Do you like my rainbow mittens? Look at my penguin’s hat, isn’t it pretty? Do you like my picture? The children weren’t shy about crowing or asking for compliments. At five and six, they’re so unabashed — Look what I made, don’t you love it? I answered each one of them — Yes, so colorful! Such a pretty green hat! So lovely!
It won’t stay that way. Soon they’ll learn: Don’t boast, don’t brag, don’t fish for compliments. And for a moment, as I looked at their proud, happy faces, I wondered if there couldn’t be something in-between.
Writing Near the Lake 
I remember when my nieces were little (they’re in their 30s now) trying to “show” me their latest drawings over the phone. All I could say was, “Aw, pretty.” My brother (their dad) tried to explain that, no, Aunt Denise couldn’t see over the phone and was about to spoil it all.
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There’ is always a realist in the bunch!
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Your experience brings back so many memories coloring with my son, nieces and nephews, grandkids, you name it. You are right, no need to rush. Thank you!
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I have many fond memories of coloring with my sisters.
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This is a test to see if this works.
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Yes, it works!
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I know you’d rather have a comment on your writing, but why I posted this is a long story that I won’t bore others with here. However, I might tell you in private.
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This brought me back to my childhood. I always wanted a coloring book, but my mother, thinking she was teaching me to have a free spirit reused, to get me one. “You don’t need to learn how to stay within someone else’s lines,” she said.
However, she did give me lots of white paper on which I could draw whatever I wanted. She even framed one of them. My dad often brought home “computer paper” from his office. It was perforated and zigzagged or folded into a pile. My brother and I taped it onto our walks and drew murals.
I discovered that my aunt (close to my mom’s age) disliked coloring due to childhood experiences where she felt pressured to stay within the lines, a task her young hands found challenging. Recently, I picked up an adult coloring book as a stress-relief method and shared it with her. To my surprise, she advised me to give it up, expressing concern that it might become too stressful. It’s fascinating to see how the previous generation perceived coloring as a stressful activity, contrasting with my own perspective.
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Yes, this is all so true. I recently read that teachers try to encourage students to stay within the lines because it helps with brain development and fine motor skills. But I think teachers years ago were much more rigid about coloring.
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