Van Gogh Moment

I always know which one is my son's art project at school. It isn't because I know his favorite colors or that I can instantly detect his crayon stroke. I always know which one is his because it is always the one with the least amount of effort. Most of the other kids enthusiastically color within the lines with many bright, beautiful colors. My sons inevitably will take two or three passes across the piece of paper with a crayon/marker (usually a black or brown) and declares himself done. He is the same way at home with any sort of craft project we do. He figures out the minimum amount of effort it takes to please me and then is off like a shot. He has just never been that boy - while Quinn can happily sit at the table and color, paint or string beads for a necklace; Greyson's interest lie in the active arena. He has to be doing something physical- hockey, football, riding his bike or sometimes just running in circles around the house like a chicken with his head cut off. He is always in constant motion. Which is why the events of last week have left me baffled.

As you may recall from my last post the kids took time off the pirate ship to make a Jolly Roger flag - which in and of itself was surprising that Greyson would volunteer to color. I chalked it up to his current dogged devotion to piracy. But the next day when I asked them what they wanted to do Greyson said "Color another flag". OK, like before he must love pirates and so I printed off another flag. But then he finished that page and asked for another "I want to color a pirate ship" then "I want to color a pirate hat" Wow - he must really love pirates, I thought but then he started asking for other things "I want to color a train" "I want to color a castle" and so it went. And long after Quinn had lost interest in coloring and wandered away to do her own thing my son sat alone, quietly at the table and colored.......for hours.



I think he colored more that day than he has in his entire life. He attempted to stay in the lines and even used a palette that extended past the earth tones. I don't know how long this phase will last but I am enjoying the burst of creativity (and the quiet).