Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! once again DD (nearly 6 FGS) has drawn on the sofa and on my bed headboard. What shall I do?

[LittleBella]

I really, really want this to stop. She is nearly bloody six. When she was 3, it was my fault because I shouldn't have left pens around. Now she is almost 6 and knows it is a rule that she doesn't draw on the furniture, I don't think it is my fault any more. Well maybe it is, but other people's kids of this age don't, so how can I stop her doing it? Don't tell me to keep pens out of her way, I can't have that level of organisation and control freakery. What shall I say to her? Should I have a sanction? And how do I get biro out of leather and suede?!

MrsR - "I really, really want this to stop. She is nearly bloody six." From the OP.

Could you elaborate?
Threads evolve, I gave my opinion and carried on defending/explaing myself
Really, it is a pretty poor defence

? we were chatting about our views on this

MrsR wasn't saying that she thought the OP should do what she does

wow just come back to this and had a read. Interesting debate.

Luckily for me ds has never tried to draw on anything he shouldn't so I've not had to have this debate with myself or see how libral or anal I am. I don't think I'd be as liberal as I'd like to think I would though, even though I'm an artistic type myself

He did use his fingerpaints on our glass back door, a la Lizzy from smarteenies, those thumb paintings, which I thought was very creative (and easily wiped!)

oh, I really do this 'DS1! THAT'S A BOOK AND BOOKS ARE SACRED!' thing. Am now wondering whether there are circumtances in which I could or should allow book-drawing. Tbh, it annoys me more when he throws a book down or pulls it off the shelf with no intention of looking at it. That seems like greater disrespect somehow.

agree with books are sacred .. would never allow a child to colour in a book (a colouring book is different)

can't stand people defacing books, even books they own

I wonder why we feel so strongly abut it though. It's like there's a law against drawing in a book when a crap book, or a very cheap book is essentially just bound printed pages. It might be cheaper than a colouring book.

I fly in a rage at the sight of book defacement, but why is it always defacement rather than colouring in?

because books contain ideas and imagination and stories and all things that are important

because book burning and censorship through the ages has filled liberals with dread and fear of 'witch trials'

and also I suppose because those of us brought up with a religious background, no matter whether we have chosen to ignore it or not, have been brought up in the main with the whole 'sacred texts, treat with care' I would imagine

I'm not saying it shouldn't be like that, I'm just wondering why we are all so good at following this particular rule.

yes, that must be it, even seeing a coloured mark on a printed page sort of fills me with revulsion but I've never thought it through.

It represents all of those things, doesn't it, its very interesting about the holy/sacred aspect too, I think there is an intrinsic reverence even if you haven't grown up with a holy book as such.

so, even if no-one will ever open How To Crochet and it has an ugly cover, drawing in it is defacement beacuse of what a book represents, yes?

oooh this was interesting.

I'm like MI I think. DD is a terrible drawer/gluer/sticker/string enthusiast. I'd really hate to tot up the extent of her enthusiasms, but I've never gone ballistic about it.

I think we've got an understanding now that she can deface her own room, but nowhere else. It seems to be holding, except of course for the pale pink nativity scene on the back of one kitchen chair . . .

I wrote on walls as a child. I once wrote 'Mummy wrote this'. Doh.

I think the "defacing books" thing goes back to a time when books were incredibly expensive and there was a limited supply of them. So if you destroyed one, there was a bloody good chance that you might actually be destroying valuable ideas or information that you might not be able to get hold of easily again. Hence the horror.

That emotional response is an anachronism in a world where books are plentiful, cheap commodities and where the majority of them are fairly free from new ideas.

book reverers, try watching this if you have 10 mins. It's a very funny and clever video, and I love it, but about half way in they start...well, you will see! I nearly died when dp showed me. I could hardly watch - "but they are BOOKS, they can't do THAT"

it was a real visceral reaction, totally irrational

actually that link is coming out very bad quality for me, try this maybe?

very clever

I am in awe of people who can make music out of nothing, it must take so long to plan out and get right

Agree with twig

But in the old days, when books were incredibly expensive, the illustrations were hand drawn. Good quality hand done illustrations enhance a book, not ruin it. Why on earth shouldn't someone take their watercolours and tint the black and white illustrations? or even add their own illustrations?
I grew up with hand tinted illustrations, and find the attitude that a book shouldnt be touched really surprising.

mrsruffallo,

I love your attitude . As you've clearly pointed out they don't do it elsewhere and you and your partner enjoy them.

I am somewhat bemused to find that I am suddenly anti-social, causing criminal damage and other things brought up in this thread.

I don't like plain colored walls, so over the years I have painted wolves, foxes, dragons, birds and all kind of things on our walls. We have a set of stairs with a very tall wall and so one year painted a giraffe.

My daughters' bedroom needs redoing but currently has many pictures on the walls and looks a lot like a gallery. Many scenic images, gypsy caravans, skyline etc my mother did for her.

LittleBella,

Hope I explain this well.

2 x dowling rods - long enough to pass through the centre of plain wall paper with about an inch to spare each side.

1 x roll plain wall paper.

1 x long post tube

8 x plastic caps for tins (usually found in pet section of shops)

2 x strips of cloth (length depends on you)

2 x hook and rawplugs.

Sew a loop at either end of the cloth. You need to sew another loop near one of the ends. Do the same with the second piece of cloth, tryin to duplicate what you did with the first as close as possible. (I found marking them first helped.)

Mark a x in the centre of the four caps. Cut along the x with a sharp knife.

Pass one of the rods through the wall paper, then push a cap on each end so the wall paper stays in place. Do the same with the cardboard tube.

The rod with the paper on it put through the middle loops of the cloth, then put another cap on each end to keep in place.

Do the same with rod going through the tube. This time put them through the bottom loops.

The hooks need to be placed on a suitable wall at the right height and distance from each other.

You should now be able to lift the roll of paper and use the spare hoops to hook it up. Making sure when the paper unrolls it is against the wall.

Pull the paper down until it reaches the tube and sellotape in place. Turn the tube a couple of times.

Your child now has a large area they can happily draw on. When this is full/finished simply roll the bottom on to reveal fresh paper ready to decorate. Just make it clear this is the only place they are allowed to draw unless on paper.

Sorry I can't give dimensions but it has been a long time since I've done this. I think the distance we used between 'middle' and bottom loops was 4 or 5 foot. My daughter and her friends loved it.

You can also keep them when finished to embarras dc when older

dgeorgea-I love you!!!that sounds amazing

Glad to know that I am not the only MNetter bringing up anti social deviants!

Get nail polish remover and a cloth and tell her to get scrubbing! If she has to spend lots of time clearing it up she may think twice before doing it.

My dd is only 2yo but has to clean up any mess she makes (obviously under my direct supervision) and has never deliberately drawn on anything she isn't meant to.

Am a bit flummoxed by those instructions, am crap at being creative like that.

Does nail varnish remover work on suede or just leathre? would it change the colour of the leather?