Erasing The Past

Yesterday, "the boy" was jealous of the attention his baby brother was receiving. He grabbed a crayon, and marked a few concentric circles on 17 different or bright purple crayon across the walls. After the initial burst of anger, I was a bit proud of the effort, determination, and thoroughness that he employed.

NY Mary claims her offspring have topped 17 walls, so my pride was somewhat shaken, and it was time to clean off the walls.

Magic Eraser (I own no stock in the company) works like a charm. You soak it in a bit of water, wring it out, and each of the crayon marks came up in about 5 seconds with little effort. Parenting isn't that simple.


My goal in parenting liberally is to focus on the now and not the past. The boy was punished for his transgression. Once the punishment was over, the event was "erased" and we enjoyed the rest of the evening together. We worked a puzzle, watched a movie, and read a book.


Fairness and compassion are best taught by example rather than dictum. Being a tired and cranky parent of young children can test the best of intentions. Our kids aren't perfect, and neither are we. Making the effort is really half the battle. As we forgive our children for being less than perfect, in the end they will do the same.