The Rules Of Drawing

Bella is starting to draw things. I should clarify . . . things other than lines and circles. It seems like lines and circles are something they master quite early . . . Kadin was the master of circles when he was Bella's age. Everything he drew was a circle . . . sometimes pages of them.

So tonight we were coloring and Bella took out a blank piece of paper and was going to draw. She sat with crayon in hand just looking at the blank sheet of paper . . . so I asked her . . .

"Bella, what are you going to draw?"

"Ummm . . . I don't know." with her crayon pressed to the corner of her mouth.

"Can you draw a picture of Mommy?"

"Sure!" And she set to work drawing a big circle with two arms sticking out of it and two legs. She did give me eyes, a nose and a mouth which is always helpful. Kadin's people always had bodies when he drew them. From a very young age his people would have necks, torso's and legs - they were never just heads with appendages. I remember his teacher commenting on how that was an advanced skill . . . I guess she was right.

So, Bella finished her drawing of me and then looked once again at a new blank page. She sat staring at it . . . pondering what she would create next.

"Now what do you want to draw?" I asked her.

"I don't know."

"Can you draw a flower?"

"No. What should I draw Mommy?"

"Can you draw a tree?"

"No."

"Well, why don't you tell me what you can draw?"

"Well, I can draw a mommy, a chicken, a face and a leaf."

"You can draw a chicken?"

"Yup."

"Ok, then let's draw a chicken."

"No, mom . . . I can't draw a chicken until I'm five. I am not five yet."

"Oh . . . I thought you said you could draw a chicken."

"No . . . and I can't draw a flower either. I can't draw a chicken or a flower . . . not until I am five - those are the rules mom."

I didn't know there were rules when drawing . . . I'm always learning.