Clownfish came home today and expressed disappointment with his Crayola 24 crayon box. He discovered that Peach didn't really match his skin tone, nor did Brown, even when he colored really lightly.
"I want one that is the color of me."
His school crayons fell short. But we have a 96 Crayola box here at the house, so we scribbled with all of the brown shaded crayons and compared them to his skin. In the end, he chose Raw Sienna and put it in his school bag. He's going to add it to his crayon bag for the next time his teacher asks him to draw himself.
I thought it was a beautiful moment, Clownfish embracing something that made him special and different and wanting a means to express that with his crayons. My husband's first response was to think that someone had made fun of him or picked on him because of his skin because that was my husband's experience in school. Clownfish seems content now, so I am inclined to think I'm right. But I am not looking forward to the day, and I hope it never comes, that my husband's fears are realized.
As for Clownfish, he had only one regret: "I wish we had done this before I drew my picture today."
I had a similar experience when I was in first grade and I had to draw myself. For me, it had nothing to do with getting picked on; it was all about accuracy. So nothing to worry about I think.
ReplyDeleteI remember finding a box of crayons specifically for coloring skin tones. It was the best discovery of elementary school.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a sweet story, I love the genuine innocence of children.
Leo -- turns out my son's teacher HAD one of those boxes AND offered to help him find a color when he initially expressed dissatisfaction in class. For whatever reason, he decided to stick with his own ordinary brown one until he got home.
ReplyDeleteThat is too sweet. My son is in first grade, so I can appreciate the sentiment of that moment! Ahh...the little things =)
ReplyDeleteBy the way - YOU were that girl?? OK, so am I not studying enough? I find that between kid time and school time, I study as much as I can without killing myself. I'm not behind though, and I feel like I am "getting it," so I dunno...