My three-year
As a professional cartoonist (and former teacher), I’m often asked to visit classrooms to teach kids about cartooning. Invariably, there are numerous children who either won’t participate because they “can’t draw” or get frustrated that they can’t draw perfectly the first time.
This led to a thought experiment. What if there were a child who never made mistakes? What would her life be like? Enter Beatrice Bottomwell, celebrated in her town for having never made a mistake in as long as anyone can remember. In so many ways, her life is wonderful. She wins spelling bees. She gets perfect grades. She never spills anything, mismatches clothing, or colors outside the lines. What could be terrible about that?
The trouble, Beatrice increasingly discovers, is that she’s trapped in a box. Beatrice can’t try anything she doesn’t already know she’s good at. When her friends ask her to join them ice skating, she won’t because she might fail. She’s so attached to being The Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes that her range of activities becomes narrower and narrower.
This is the problem with the kind of perfectionism that virtually all of us experience. How many adults do you know who refuse to dance or sing or draw because that’s just not something they’re good at? Our children watch us and begin to do the very same thing.
In “The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes,” Beatrice’s world unravels until she fails spectacularly and publicly. The challenge for her becomes what to do in the wake of this disaster. Will she try to cover up her mistake and be perfect again? Or will she learn to let go of her fears and try new things?
Now, when I teach cartooning to kids, I teach the Art of Making Mistakes. Before anything else, we mark up our page with random scribbles and lines, to remind us that our sketches don’t matter. It’s wonderful to see how quickly the kids let go of their preconceptions and rediscover their ability to draw. Perhaps my three-year-old artist will make it through elementary school still creating art!
If your child needs a friendly reminder to let loose, or if you would just like to add another delightful story to your bedtime routine, enter our giveaway! To enter the please fill out the entry form by Tuesday, October 18h. The winner of “The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes” will be chosen by random.org and announced on Wednesday, October 19th. Can’t wait to see if you won? Get your own copy at: http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Never-Made-Mistakes/dp/1402255446
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