However, what we may miss, if we do not take a minute or two, is that shared reading also gives us insight into how they see the world. 

Yesterday morning, my son and his four-year-old daughter got up unusually early.  Most mornings are a bit of a rush to get ready for work and summer camp, but this early morning gave them a little extra time.  When Liliana asked Daddy to read a book, he said, “Sure.”  She picked out The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt—a delightful story about some very frustrated crayons.

When he got to the page about the purple crayon (Liliana’s favorite color), he read that the purple crayon was frustrated because much of the purple was being colored out of him by coloring outside the lines. 

Liliana spoke up and said, “Daddy, it is okay to color outside the lines.  Sometimes mistakes are the art.”

Later my son shared this anecdote and I immediately thought of Picasso who said, “It took me four years to learn to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”  In our efforts to guide and refine, to offer direction and to create order, we may miss the chance to nurture curiosity and simply enjoy the small people in front of us.

Sometimes, the mistake is the art.  Here is a little watercolor that Liliana painted, which I think illustrates her point!  It is okay, Purple Crayon—you are still her favorite!