The Longest Shortest Time
Drawing Obsession: Covering Up
We’re finally reaching the stage where Sasha’s artwork is starting to get interesting. Like, it has more meaning than just being face-value dots and squiggles. Recent drawings include family members with extremely long arms, our cat’s whiskers, and a treatise on pee and poo.
Patterns are developing. Sasha’s current fixation is covering the entire page, no matter what medium she’s working in.
It started with this painting. Sasha insisted on covering ALL OF THE WHITE with watercolor.
This paper used to be red. She covered it with blue paint.
This drawing toy always gets the entirely-covered treatment.
Even Hello Kitty can’t escape.
At first the covering-up seemed to be a delaying strategy, to put off going to bed or having a diaper change. I still think that’s part of it, but I’ve also noticed Sasha covering her eyes whenever I change a poopy diaper. Which makes me wonder if this is all potty related? I’ve also mentioned before on this blog how Sasha has been frightened by people wearing things that cover their faces or face parts—a polar bear mask, an eye patch, vampire teeth. I asked Alyson, the Mommy-baby social worker I sometimes talk to, and she said the covering-up could mean a lot of things but ultimately it doesn’t really matter what it means. All that matters is to allow Sasha to master covering things up and play out the behavior as much as she needs to. I like that answer because it allows me to step back a bit and just look on in fascination rather than fretting over what might be going on in that little mysterious, super-active brain.
What about you? What patterns do your kids display in artwork? Do you ever know what it means? Tell us!
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