Being a mom is my favorite role.
Being a mom is also my hardest role.
As my girls have grown older they have each developed interests much different than mine.
Neither loves to run long distances.
They don’t spend their afternoons with a book and a cup of tea.
Sometimes they will tolerate my in-the-car concert to ‘90s music, but usually they prefer to choose the playlist.
If I asked them to eat the Superhero Muffins I make on a weekly basis, they would politely decline.
Of course, this is totally ok. I mean, isn’t that what we want for our kids?
To become their own people.
To grow up knowing who they are.
To be confident to make their own decisions.
To venture off into the world with a light to pass along to others.
My 12-year-old Eve has a talent in all things art.
She spends her days creating pins out of Shrinky Dink paper. She paints flower pots and uses her Cricut to make bookmarks and earrings. She draws cute monsters on her school work and colors inside and outside of the lines. She spends hours in her craft room, only coming out for snacks or more supplies.
Her mind is a creative machine constantly thinking about the next creation.
I am in awe of her artistic abilities – but I can say without a shadow of doubt, she did not get them from me.
On a recent run, I started to think about how quickly our kids grow up. We are only blessed to have them in our house for a small window of time before they spread their wings and leave the nest.
Again, yes, this is what we parents prepare them for.
Currently in the midst of having two independent girls in our house, I have started to see a glimpse of what it may be like when they don’t live here anymore.
In an attempt to draw them out of their rooms, I have been making an effort to become more involved in the things they like to do.
For my 16-year-old, that’s easy. We see each other frequently throughout the day, since we are both at the high school. Our paths intersect quite a lot to be honest. We watch True Crime documentaries together and scan the internet for Prom dresses.
For my 12-year-old Eve, I have started to look for opportunities to explore a more artistic side of myself.
Recently, I signed up for some online Doodling and Lettering Classes from an artist I follow on Social Media. I thought this would be the perfect adventure for us to do together.
I was right – Eve was excited to do the class with me, even though she is already a great doodler.
She came down to the table with all the supplies she could carry: a sketchbook for each of us, newly sharpened pencils, square erasers I haven’t seen since my elementary school days, and plenty of patience for her dear mom.
The first few lessons were simply about materials and making sure to practice.
Eve sat beside me doodling away – and making a wishlist of future supplies she knew I would cave for the next day at Michael’s.
When it was time to finally start drawing, I definitely felt nervous and out of my element.
Thankfully, the teacher took us step-by-step.
We started with drawing circles (I traced mine, while Eve drew freehand) and then used those basic shapes to create various fruits and farm animals.
The next assignment was to pick an ordinary object, such as a tree, and draw it 50 different ways. We started with trees and then I chose to draw 50 different mugs and Eve chose to draw 50 different monsters.
WOW, 50 is a lot (in fact, we are both still working on that assignment!).
Over the past few days, we have spent time not only watching the tutorials, but also practicing our doodling together.
Not one time has either one of us become frustrated (which is shocking because I am quite a perfectionist). Instead, we have found a fun, extra-curricular activity to do together.
We have laughed and Eve has helped me several times when I have gotten stuck.
In all honesty, Eve didn’t really need this doodling class. Like I said before, she not only has natural talent, but practices her drawing daily.
So I am so thankful she has taken the time to tutor me through the process.
Taking the time to open myself up to her interests really has made our days brighter.
Sometimes it’s not about what you’re doing, it’s about who you get the chance to do it with.
