Might be due to all the recent stress and change, and yes, just when I thought it couldn’t get worse …but that’s a whole other story. She was crying inconsolably, it was late, and I asked what she needed. She said she didn’t get to draw today. So, I said, you are older and can have a later bedtime. Meet me in the living room … where I got a large piece of newsprint I use mostly for teaching Spanish. Ripped out a sheet, and she proceeded to draw a circle. And then color it. Her color, expression, breathing settled.
She then told me about a book called “The Dot”, about a girl who only likes to draw dots. This reminded me of my favorite doodle, that I used to do all the time, but haven’t, maybe since college. A sea-weedy swirly thing. And we started doodling together. Not drawing, not coloring, which we do plenty, but doodling.
We both then went to bed, relaxed and happy. She fell asleep, quickly, with a smile on her face.
I need to do this more.
