Do not try this at home

Thought I should tell you about today's dumb parenting moment. See what's going on in this picture? Bad idea.

That's Amanda painting on the floor as her sister looks on. Normally Amanda either paints outside or uses her easel, but the other night she wanted to paint on the floor and I thought, Oh why not? These pictures were taken immediately following Alyssa's first cereal. This painting session ended well, but today's painting session did not.

This time I actually thought to warn Amanda to be careful not to step in the paint…and then I told her that if she accidentally stepped in the paint NOT to walk on the carpet. What I failed to tell her was what to do if she stepped in the paint and didn't realize it, which is what probably
happened today.

Scott found paint on a pillow and was giving Amanda the 5th degree and Amanda was swearing up and down that she hadn't gone near the pillow. He said it HAD to have been her because none of us had done it…and I said that we couldn't rule out the cat. The cat could have jumped on her painting and then ended up on the pillow. There was, after all, cat hair on the pillow as well.

So we were in the middle of this ridiculous detective routine when Scott looked up and happened to notice that there was paint all over the dining room floor and paint footprints all the way across the living room carpet. And to think we were worried about the pillow. Amanda continued to argue that she had NOT done it, despite the fact that there was a clear footprint, obviously matching the boots she happened to be wearing. She still swears the cat did it. Scott just wandered around saying, "If the boot don't fit, you must acquit," and I went to work washing the paint out of the carpet. (Yes, it all came out of the carpet.)

Scott swears that there will be no more paint allowed in this house but I'm not there yet. I figure that making a few really big messes is just a requirement of childhood. And I'm really glad they make washable paint.