I heard a little saying once that went something like this - "God loves you so much if He had a refrigerator, your art work would be on it." Imagine that!!
This past weekend, I saw something that made me so sad and it reminded me of that saying. Each week, the kids do an art project in Sunday School. Some of them are kind of lame, but the kids have fun with them and they add something to the lesson they have learned that day. The teacher uses the craft to reinforce the message.
But this past weekend was special. It was Mother's Day so every child except the infants, also made a card for their mom. They colored it, chose their mom's favorite color for the background, glued it together and then the child's hand was traced on the back and the date was added. Each child's teacher talked about how much this will mean to their mom and encouraged the kids to do their best.
After services I saw one mom deposit her child's Mother's Day card and his craft in the trash can. Imagine that!! This about broke my heart for the child as well as the mom. That child put time, effort and thought into the card for his mom. I can't imagine he felt very good having mom trash it, no matter that the coloring wasn't perfect or the gluing not straight. Actually that makes it even more special - she knows he did the work. And mom - how could you have so little regard for something your child gave you - on Mother's Day no less? I guess that mom doesn't know that she should value and appreciate these little gifts as there will be a day that she might want to look back and remember when that little guy was young and his hand was so very small.
Now the truth of the matter is that mom's can't possibly keep every little thing their child makes, but, at least keep it and/or display it for a little while to show the child their ideas and their thoughtfulness mean something to you. Please don't devalue your child's work and their efforts by tossing it right in front of their eyes. Think about what that says to the child... "What I make is worthless - it's garbage!"
I had a little guy in my preschool class that never wanted to take his papers or his art work home. When I asked why, he sadly said, "Well, my mom just throws it away." It hurt too much to see mom throw it away, he'd rather just leave it behind. Imagine that!!
Imagine what it feels like to have something you have worked hard on tossed aside as if it is nothing - a piece of trash. Imagine that your manuscript is tossed in the trash by your spouse. Imagine that your project designs are trashed by your boss. How would you feel? You would be crushed. And each time you show a complete disregard for your child's efforts, so is he.
Next time your child excitedly shares his work with you, imagine that!
"Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged." Colossians 3:20
Below are some great ideas on how to display your child's work even if for a short time.
No comments:
Post a Comment