Let me start with a truth nobody posts on Instagram:
Kids don’t paint.
They conduct experiments.
And parents don’t supervise.
They witness chaos… lovingly.
This wasn’t a “cute mommy-baby bonding moment.”
This was a full-scale production involving:
🎨 27 colors
🖌️ 14 brushes
💧 3 cups of water
😵💫 1 tired mother
💖 Infinite memories
And yes — the painting happened too.
“How is she doing this?”
Ah yes.
The legendary question.
Like I secretly enrolled her in
Harvard School of Toddler Fine Arts, Picasso Division.
No, my friend.
She’s doing this because:
She’s bored
I said yes
Children come pre-installed with imagination and zero fear
That’s it.
No crash course.
No masterclass.
No YouTube tutorial titled:
“How to Raise the Next Picasso in 30 Days.”
“How are you training her?”
Training???
Ma’am, I can’t even train her to wear the same slipper twice.
If parenting had an honest manual:
Step 1: Sit child down
Step 2: Hand over paints
Step 3: Lose control immediately
Step 4: Pretend this was intentional
Step 5: Clean silently while questioning life choices
Also, I’m not training her.
She’s training me —
In patience.
In breathing.
In not reacting when yellow meets black and becomes… emotional trauma green.
“Is it real or did you paint with your left hand?”
First of all — rude.
Second of all — if I could paint like this with my left hand, I’d be selling NFTs and hosting workshops called:
“How to Fake Talent While Parenting.”
But no — this is real toddler art. Which means: ❌ No erasing
❌ No undo button
❌ No fear
❌ No perfection
✔️ 100% confidence
✔️ 200% joy
Baby’s Questions (Behind-the-Scenes Edition)
Before painting:
“Amma, what color is happy?”
“Amma, can clouds be square?”
“Amma, why is the sun round? Can I make it triangle?”
“Amma, what color is tomorrow?”
“Amma, does water get tired if we use it too much?”
“Amma, if I mix all colors will I get rainbow or problem?”
During painting:
“Amma, why is this color not listening to me?”
“Amma, can I paint the sun blue today? Yellow feels tired.”
“Amma, this brush is sleepy. Can it rest?”
“Amma, my paper is drinking the paint!”
“Amma, can birds fly backwards if they forget where they were going?”
“Amma, can I paint the table also? It looks lonely.”
After painting:
“Amma, where did the water go after the sink ate it?”
“Amma, why doesn’t soap taste like strawberries?”
“Amma, can we paint again after cleaning?”
“Amma, are you happy or tired or both?”
“Amma, tomorrow can we use more colors?”
Tomorrow. She said tomorrow.
Post-Painting:
The Real Workout
Water cups overturned.
Paint trails leading to rooms nobody entered.
One brush found in the bathroom.
One brush missing forever — presumed dead.
Hands washed five times — still orange.
And somehow…
Zero regrets.
Plot Twist Nobody Talks About
Somewhere between:
Water spills
Broken brushes
And 700 curiosity questions
Something soft happens.
She concentrates.
She experiments.
She trusts her instincts.
She doesn’t ask: “Is this good enough?” “What will people think?” “Should I redo it?”
She just creates.
Meanwhile, adults: Can’t even post a selfie without consulting five friends and deleting it twice.
Somewhere along the way, We replaced:
Play with performance
Curiosity with caution
Joy with judgment
Kids didn’t lose creativity.
Adults did.
The Real Masterpiece
The real art isn’t the painting.
It’s: The silence when she’s focused
The loud “AMMA SEE!” when she finishes
The paint-stained hands grabbing hugs
The pride in her eyes
The mess that somehow feels meaningful
She’s painting sunsets.
I’m painting patience.
She’s learning colors.
I’m learning surrender.
She’s creating art.
I’m creating memories.
So the next time someone asks: “How is she doing this?” “How are you training her?” “Is it real?”
My answer is / will be:
“I’m not raising the next Picasso.
I’m raising a human who isn’t afraid to make a mess while finding herself.”
And honestly… That’s better than clean floors.
Every. Single. Time.
#mommysnbabys #MessyMagic #TinyHumansBigQuestions #CreativeChaos #ParentingUnfiltered
Meenakshi R Karthikeyan
AAGHNYA™ | Your Inner Awakening Space
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