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Original poster

I bet no one's toddler is as creative and artistic as mine - grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

40 replies

ghosty · 19/07/2006 10:02

Never ever had this problem with DS - he was positively angelic at 2 compared to his sister ... I used to have a smug smile to myself when I heard of people's toddlers drawing on furniture ...
This week DD has drawn in biro on all the arms of our sofa and chairs and on the coffee table Luckily we have that macro suede stuff so the biro comes out and eventually we will sand down the coffee table and re-do it ... but she can not keep her hands off pens or pencils. I try to keep them out of reach but as she has a big brother who needs to do homework and drawing etc she is like a bee to a honey pot when the pencils and pens come into view. She drew in black permanent marker all over her face and hands last week luckily missing her clothes.

But today was the pinnacle of her artistic endeavours so far. It all went quiet ... I was cooking and she often goes and plays with the taps in the bathroom filling her teacups etc ... I don't have a problem with water - the floor can be dried and so can she ...
But after about 5 minutes I went to check on her. I opened the bedroom door and there she was, happily playing with her cuddly toys. She turned to me and I saw that her face was covered in black stuff. I thought, Oh no, she has got hold of a marker pen again! On closer inspection I could see that the black stuff was mainly around her eyes and it had a feathery brushy look to it. My heart sank ...
I went to the bathroom and the horror of what I saw was too much to bear ... she had literally covered every available space with beautiful patterns with my lovely lovely Lancome Mascara - everything was smeared - the sink, the shower door, the floor, the toilet cistern, the toilet seat, and ... the inside of the toilet bowl .
Can you believe it? She got a right telling off and was put in her room knowing full well what she had done ...
But the best bit was when DH came home and on picking up the cat to give it a cuddle, found that poor thing's back covered in mascara . Poor thing is still desperately trying to lick it off but can't reach

All my own fault of course, DH says I should put my stuff away, and put all pens etc away out of sight ... yeah, yeah .... blah blah ...

OP posts:
beansprout · 19/07/2006 10:04

Rats! Sorry to hear this, sounds miserable...

Original poster
ghosty · 19/07/2006 10:12

Oh, no beansprout - I actually think it is funny - especially that she tried to put the mascara on her eyes and on the cat .... although I am not showing DD that of course ... It is just a shock because DS just wasn't like that at all ...

OP posts:
Enid · 19/07/2006 10:13

I give dd1 (6.5) her own felt pens that she keeps in her room in a cse

dd2 (3.5) is only allowed colour pencils for simlair reasons

SoupDragon · 19/07/2006 10:20

I think the best bit is the cat!!

"someone" has written DS2s name in yellow highlighter pen on our armchair. Both DSs deny it. Sigh.

MarsLady · 19/07/2006 10:44

Ah Ghosty.... aren't they just gorgeous? lol

DT1 is always asking for "papurrr mummy, papurrrrrrrrr" She's a budding artist. You only have to walk into my lovely home to see her artistic talents, on walls, doors, boxes, toys, her skin, DT2's skin, the carpet, the bath, the wooden floor, the beds, the sheets.......... oh I could go on, but I really shouldn't boast!

coppertop · 19/07/2006 10:47

Sorry but I'm PMSL at the thought of your poor unfortunate cat.

magnolia1 · 19/07/2006 10:48

Hee Hee

But did she try to put it on her before or after she did the inside of the toilet!!!!!!!

gladbag · 19/07/2006 10:50

Ahhh ghosty, the joys of toddlerdom And marslady, do we have a gathering of feb 04 toddlers here?

Does being creative with your wee count? Ds can now hold his willy and spray in circles and patterns (experienced it at the beach, and it is now a talent he's brought home to experiment on the carpet). I'm so proud.

monkey · 19/07/2006 10:57

my ds's ruined my favourite, now discontinues lip stick. on a wipeable leather settee, so worst bit was loosing the lippey. totally feel for you. It would drive me to murder, so I don't find it at all funny, but instead feel very sorry for you and remember, it's a phase, it'll pass.. it's a phase it'll pass. ,it's a phase, it'll pass. it's a phase, it'll pass. it's a phase, it'll pass. it's a phase, it'll pass.

MarsLady · 19/07/2006 11:08

It would seem that it is a gathering of the Feb '04 babes. Wonder if it was something in the air that month? lol

poppiesinaline · 19/07/2006 11:14

PMSL at the cat! Would love to have seen it all in action.

Original poster
ghosty · 19/07/2006 11:36

Poor poor 'Woody Tat' has just been subjected to baby wipes and a flea comb to try and get rid of the mascara that has matted the fur on the top of her head and all down the back of her neck .... she is NOT a happy puss

Magnolia ... I really hope she did her eyes before she decorated the toilet

DH just said it is like a scene from a tv program like SuperNanny or Toddlers From Hell something

OP posts:
LadyTophamHatt · 20/07/2006 06:18

OMG...but....LOLOLOL

mummyhill · 20/07/2006 07:36

pmsl.

poor cat.

We went through this at that age too am hoping ds will bypass that stage cause I really would like to redecorate but dh refuses till both children learn not to draw on the walls.

PinkTulips · 20/07/2006 10:31

PMSL, poor puss.

dd's only 17 months but showing definite signs of following in your dd's footsteps. walls have been decorated, floors have been drawn on, find 'pictures' in the oddest places like on the pc harddrive and the washing machine. my make up case is safely out of reach thankgod but i think i'll be taking your story as inspiration to hide it even better!

gailyb · 20/07/2006 11:30

OMG I feel for you.

If my dd dis that to our cat we wouldn't notice as she's completely black.

My dd (3.25) covered my lounge in sunscreen on Monday morning - the carpet, the sofa, the walls, the bookcase and then she had tried to clean in up with kitchen roll, but in running backards and forwards to the kitchen put footprints everywhere.

This was 2 hours before we had to pick up dh from the airport after a 10 day business trip to the US.

She frequently draws on the furniture/floors with pencils so is not allowed them without supervision.

She knows that it's wrong and that just makes me even more cross. She has a tendency for ripping paper, books, stickers too.

Can I stop her or is it just a phase? Dh and I get annoyed as we were not like this.

Marina · 20/07/2006 11:37

ROFL ghosty - what is it with small girls whose brothers are about four years older than them do you think?
During the World Cup we couldn't take our eyes off dd for a second. She would silently tour the room with a felt-tip writing "Ing-er-land" on any exposed flesh.
I had scary purple lines all up my shins the next day and it took a couple of mad scrubs in the shower to finally shift the stains
She has also developed an obsession with Sudocrem and will coat herself in it completely if not watched
I am still chuckling at your poor cat's predicament

magnolia1 · 20/07/2006 11:40

Gailyb:
Can I stop her or is it just a phase? Dh and I get annoyed as we were not like this.

Oh I bet you had your moments!!!

serenity · 20/07/2006 11:53

I now only own clear mascara thanks to DDs obsession with my brown waterproof one. No matter where I'd hide it I'd always forget to rehide it after rushing to get ready for work in the evenings. Our bathroom wall needs repainting because waterproof mascara will not wash off. She also used my expensive Mary Kay lippie to redecorate the radiator cover in the Hall (more repainting.....) She's 2.8 now and it seems to have stopped (or we're better at hiding things! ) AFAIR the boys may have done it once or twice, but DD's the redecoration queen.

Kirk1 · 20/07/2006 12:04

Moments like these is why I wont decorate or have carpets.....

When she was 2, dd cound my makeup bag and decorated herself with it. The first glance I got of her made my heart stop becouse she looked like she's been drinking blood! She has an absolute passion for drawing on things. DS, who is 3 years younger, confines his artistic tendancies to paper, but dd's bedroom walls, desk and bed are covered in scribbles.

It's always my fault too. Dh seems to think I can do housework AND supervise their movements 24 hours a day. I'd really like to see him accomplish that.

gracielou · 20/07/2006 12:08

My lovely toddler has got creative with far more than pens and mascara. She's doing extremely well with potty training at the moment but thought, having done her poo in the potty, she might like to give her baby a bath in it, then put her in her cot, and then proceeded to decorate the living room carpet with it, as well as herself. I couldn't tell her off as she had at least done the poo in the potty, but I had to explain very clearly that poo goes in potties and toilets, and nowhere else!

louise35 · 20/07/2006 12:26

Oh gracielou this brings back memories, funny now but not funny at the time. My DD now 11, took off her nappy when she was really little and spread the contents ALL OVER my lounge!! I'd literally left her safe and sound in the lounge for 5 minutes while I hung out a couple of towels, she must have been like greased lightning because when I walked back in it was EVERYWHERE. The settee, the carpet, the walls, on her face in her hair on her clothes and all over the fireguard. I had to set about scraping it off the carpet and my new fabric settee with a knife, very pleasant. I must admit that I cried as it was all over and I did not know where to start cleaning there was just so much poo. I think I must have been getting paid back for pinching my Mum's zinc and castor oil creams and going behind the chair and smearing it all over myself, and for pinching eggs out of the fridge and smashing them all over the kitchen floor (apparently I used to do this all the time when I was toddling). I have to admit DD's not much different now, she still has the artistic tendencies, not with poop though, now its lipstick, nail varnish, makeup etc all over her bedroom carpet. Ghosty I have to say that young girls probbly never get out of the habit of nicking your cosmetics, mine is at it all the time. I've had to resort to putting it all in a lockable plastic chest with a combination lock on it. I've been known to treat myself to some decent makeup once in a blue moon and the little minx has got to it before I've even had chance to use it!!

Oh, and a tip for serenity, try vaseline for the waterproof mascara on the wall, smear it over the top and leave for a minute then wipe away, supposedly it does work.

serenity · 20/07/2006 12:32

Have duly smeared my bathroom in Vaseline (whilst DD is watching madagascar - don't want her getting any ideas!).

Let's see what happens........

SlightlyFamiliarPeachyClair · 20/07/2006 12:49

This week, DS1 has (along with a friend who is also ASD like himself) done a lovely mural on the playroom wall using only fresh tomatoes (ggrrrr), a splatter design on the living room floor with stolen chocolates (grrrr) and an engrved design in our leather sofa (fortunately disguisable).

he's 6.5

Little bugger

serenity · 20/07/2006 12:51

Well, it's sort of worked - the thinner bits have wiped off but the big chunky bits remain. I've recoated them, hopefully I can just wear them down with a few tries, they have been there a couple of months Thanks, louise.