Art Rules

This disorganised mother-of-three-crazy-kids embarked on a 14-week parenting course this year, in the hope that it would help me become a better parent.
Part of my parenting course homework was to come up with some Family Rules.
We were meant to talk with our kids and make a short list of the things that are really important to us, then put them up somewhere everyone can see them.

So the night before our homework was due I dragged out Miss fab's whiteboard (while the kids were trapped eating dinner at the table) and we brainstormed some Rules. They came up with a very long list which included things like, "Brush your teeth twice a day" and "Wash your hands". Riveting stuff.

Our list was long, unwieldy and full of Don'ts.
Don't swear. Don't hit. Don't pull hair. Don't Come in Your Parents Bed Before 6am.

I took my list along to the course... and realised that our Rules needed some refining.
Our facilitator's Family Rules were much more inspiring - short sharp positive statements like "LOVE OUR PETS" and "OWN YOUR MISTAKES".

Armed with this inspiration I re-wrote our list, focusing more on the positive and the values. I *channeled the spirit of the list* into a few snappy, easy-to-quote statements of our own.

Then I turned them into Art...

I ruled horizontal lines across the canvas at various intervals, and then blocked in the words in capital letters. They are all hand-drawn, there was no measuring (as you can tell) which gives it a very loose organic wibbley-wobbley look.

I left the letters white - that's the canvas showing through. I painted the background, using a small brush and a steady hand. The paint is a metallic-blue testpot* from Resene (which is really hard to photograph but has a lovely sheen.)

{*Resene Lucifer - hate the name, love the colour}

It took me an evening and an afternoon to complete...

Yes, I borrowed "OWN YOUR MISTAKES".
It sits nicely alongside "Be Honest", dontcha think?

I love the result, and the way it's right there in our entry hall for everyone to see.
When other kids come to our house, they'll know we want them to MIND their LANGUAGE.
When my kids are tempted to pretend it wasn't them that broke the plate, I can remind them to BE HONEST and OWN their MISTAKES.

There will be no confusion about what we value as a family.
After all, it's right there on the wall, in metallic blue-and-white.

Family Rules as Art. Who would have thought?

♥

Other Stuff I'm Learning from My Course

Play (what I learnt  at The Incredible Years Parenting course)

What a Difference a Play makes
Stuff I'm Learning that's Changing Everything
Other Parenting Stories

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P.S. "Brush your teeth twice a day" and "No kids in parents beds before 6am" are still good rules, but they might have to get written in vivid on a refill page and blu-tacked to the fridge. They just didn't make good art.