Because when you are two

I remember when my daughter was two (she is now 35) decided to
"shampoo" her hair using a whole jar of Vaseline. I forgot how many time I had to wash her hair before it came out. The joys of parenting!

Ha! My 13-yr-old STILL likes to draw on herself. Once an artist, always an artist....

You've got to love body art! My son insisted on decorating his face (washable marker) one time last year for a playdate, so I let him. He was 5. They are only young once. Maybe if he is allowed to do what he wants with body art now, he won't want a tattoo when he's older. Ha! Ha!

My oldest, who is now 16, coloured on his face and hands, his pyjamas and some of my scrapbooking stuff when he was about 2 1/2. When he was in elementary school, he was reading the Captain Underpants books and there's a talking toilet in there somewhere. Guess what he did to our toilet?! Drew a face on it! More recently than those two incidents...in fact February of this year when he was 15!...he decided some fruit in our kitchen needed faces on them. We had very smiley oranges and bananas that day!! All of this artistic prowess was done with a black Sharpie. I'm so proud!!

Sounds like what my 3 year old has been doing around here lately. If she doesn't have markers....she uses crayons on her finger & toes nails. And when she gets bored with drawing on herself, she gets the walls, floors, & furniture. Now we just hide the markers....lol

I had a pack of markers when my son was little (a freebie from somewhere?? I didn't buy them...) that were specifically for writing on skin. I think they were being marketed to teens as temporary tatoo art. I let my son try them. They did NOT wash off, as promised on the label. But, still, kind of a fun idea. Not hard to see where the inspiration for this comes from. Can't go anywhere without seeing art on skin. I wonder if putting some lotion on the skin first, then using an appropriate, nontoxic pen might work. Had a visiting 2yo doodle on my furniture once. Isn't it fun to drop everything to do emergency cleanups? Not on the day's to do list.

Ha! Looks like she has been watching to much LA Ink. So cute. This to shall pass. Treasure the memories. =]

Some things you can only laugh at! Especially when the actual scene has faded and all that is left is the memory... :)

LOL I remember my son coloring his face with a blue crayola marker . . . not trying to be artistic, but trying to look like his Jamacian best friend! I had a great laugh over that one. My only question was, why the blue marker and not the black one???

My granddaughter did that a few times and then expanded her 'drawing' to include the living room carpet! The creativity came to a screeching halt for a while. LOL My youngest daughter pretty much colored her face with lipstick one time and boy did we have to scrub to get all of that off!

i love this! i totally can see my future all magic markered & purpley now... my little one is 14 months & she's just discovered mud... she proceeded to COVER herself the other day when we went to pick up our farm share... she could not be stopped :) needless to say i was covered and so was the car seat... but it was adorable.

Been there. My daughter drew all over her arms. I have actually scrapped that one.

The photo really looks good! Well captured memory and what more? it is indeed a great image to be pasted on any scrapbook! It goes with a good story! Great job Ali! :)

to make it easier on the scrubbing, time to get washable markers :). the twos are the glorious age! :)

Not that I'm encouraging drawing on oneself, but a really fun book for children to read is Purple, Green and Yellow by Robert Munsch. Just don't get her the super-duper-indelible-never-come-off markers!

My nephew started out drawing on the walls, they told him not to draw on the walls, so he drew on his arms and legs etc, they told him not to draw on himself....so he then started drawing on his brothers....we finally got him to work no paper. :)

Dear Ali,

Young children who love to use skin as canvas...is the reason God created washable markers. Take heart...the bad mother police DO NOT issue citations if you do not immediately scrub the child clean. Really it's true.

Last Christmas I gave our eighteen year old son, "The Illustrated Man" by Ray Bradbury with a laminated photo of himself wearing "human art" as a book marker. I admit...as I smiled at the photo..I wondered...why was I always so anxious to scrub those little arms and legs clean? He outgrew that phase so quickly...grab the moment Ali... they day will come much faster than you want it to, when the idea of drawing on her legs will seem ludicrous.

I know you probably hear this all the time but... Thank you Ali. I check out your blog everyday. I love the way you communicate about your family. You have taught me so much.

Love this, Ali!! Creativity, in any form, is wonderful!! Too bad it was on her legs!! ;)

it doesn't stop at 2 years old. Middle and High schoolers too. Only then they are messages and drawings as gifts to and from friends. And class notes....

Cute story and great photos. She will laugh about this someday.

Oooooh, Ali! Years ago, before I was a Mother, I made the mistake of talking on the phone when I should have been watching a two year old child I was babysitting. When I got off the phone, the child's legs and arms were completely covered in white. She had painted herself with Liquid Paper! The child's response: Look at me! I didn't miss a spot!

LOL! As I read the references to scrubbing, I couldn't help but think of Robert Munsch's book, "Mud Puddle". Another one for you to read to Anna!

My sons are 16 and 9 and still draw on themselves. I foresee many tattoos in their future.

But honestly, unless you're going somewhere important, don't sweat it. When my kids were young, I gave my kids one wall they could draw on and they NEVER drew on anyone else's walls or anything else they were not allowed to draw on. And the bellybutton colored blue gave the pediatrician a good laugh. It's just not one of the things I chose to let be a battle.

I suppose that could be because I'm an artist and rarely go a day without paint, marker, ink, clay or some other sort of mess on myself.

What better canvas! My two year old does this to herself and her brother.