My first paid job was amazing. I was part of a team of ladies who did activities with 3 to 5 year olds for blocks of a few hours per week per group. It was lovely to see how we could include these young children to make something they could proudly take home. The influence of the terrific team stayed with me past the few summer months I worked with them.
When my own children were young, I would occasionally do arts and craft with them. Like many other parents out there, I have been known to trace their hands. On one occasion, I had these rolls of paper and decided to tape them together to have even bigger sheets. I had the kids each lie down on their sheet and traced their bodies. I drew a face on the picture. To make it easier, we pretended they were wearing snow suits which is appropriate for where we live. We got to decorate the “snowsuits”. I figured there was still room left on the paper so I also traced their hand and their foot. It was fun to do so, especially for our second child since he had such big feet for his small frame. I thought this would be a lovely souvenir for them to show their own kids if they would be lucky enough to become parents one day.
In looking at the paper, I kept sensing something was missing. Then in seeing the trace of the hand it dawned on me. I traced my hand and my foot on their sheets. When their dad came home, I traced his hand and foot on each of the kids’ sheets as well.
This was to be truly a souvenir for the children. I wanted them to have the proof of the size of our hands and feet. I sensed we might not be there to see them grow up. Actually I was worried that their dad’s medical condition could take him away from them before they were grown. If they could not have their dad, I wanted them to get a sense of the size of his hand and foot.
To see the kids souvenir you can click here. Remember it is art, at least in the eye of this beholder.
As parents we tend to have souvenirs of the kids growing up. We keep their first lock of hair or a baby tooth but we tend to forget to save souvenirs of really important parts of their childhood; souvenirs of us, their parents. One can argue that there are pictures, but often it is one of the parents taking the picture.
In tracing our hands, if we would be lost to the children, I wanted them to have a representation of the hands that would hug them, tickle them, hold their own hand so they would be safe and supported, and soothe their booboos. I wanted them to understand the size and shape of ours.
As for the tracing of the feet the expressions “of following in someone’s footsteps and “filling someone’s shoes” come to mind. That is not the reason I traced them. I think it comes closer to the idea of having them think and appreciate the path we are on. I truly wish my children follow their own individual paths.
I can happily say that my adult children not only know the size of their parents’ hands but know the feel. They have felt our hands in play, in rubbing a sick body, in tickles and in being held. They know our touch. Now I get to wish our possible future grandchildren get to know our touch as well.
I am glad we have the lame paper souvenir for the children. They will be able to compare their own little kid’s hand to their children’s hand. They will also always have the sense of the size of both mine and my husband’s when we won’t be around anymore.
Please join us next time with “Woe is Me” in a few days
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