Art for the Guilty Mom

I have always felt guilty about art. I'm not a real drawer/sketcher/ painter, etc. And I don't like messes. But, I felt that if I didn't teach art and offer my children the time frame per week to pursue art, and do prepared art lessons, then I would be stifling their creativity and in turn, ruin their lives forever.

I know!

The guilt.

The shame.


Then I realized that if a child has a natural inclination toward art, they will find opportunities on their own to be artistic. Some may not draw or sketch, but that isn't all there is to art. For instance.....

Brittany pursued (on her own) jewelry making, crocheting and cake decorating.

Bethany and Brooke have learned sewing, and Brooke does sketching and painting on her own.

The boys like grabbing paper and sketching out fight scenes and samurai figures.

See? There are many ways to be "creative" and "artistic",

I'm breathing a sigh of relief! The pressure is off! My children will find ways to express their artsy and creative sides and I haven't ruined their lives after all!


Here are some pointers to becoming an art-guilt free home school mom!

• Don't feel obligated to schedule it into the homeschool day. Let it be a "free-time" activity.
• Have a supply of different media the children could use on their own. (Just make sure it's kept far, far, far out of reach of the 2 year old.)
• Keep younger kids media options to a minimum. Unless you like messes.
• If a child is very interested in a certain art form, chances are there are books, websites and video tutorials that they can learn on their own.
• If a child shows exceptional skill in a certain area and wants to develop it further, consider lessons from an outside source or co-op.
• Encourage them to pursue something new, but don't be pushy. Maybe your child isn't artsy or doesn't like messes either.
• Embrace the classical arts instead! Look at art books (there are a lot geared toward children), listen to composers, collect art prints and visit art museums.