I am not a crafty mom.
It’s not because I can’t be crafty, it’s because I just don’t like doing crafts. Yeah right, you’re probably thinking, she’s probably lousy at them. Just to prove I’m not, here’s a picture of a dress I made out of duct tape for a contest I entered with my girl (we won a hula-hoop!):
Here’s another picture of bumble bee cupcakes I made for her birthday at school (I was on maternity leave at the time):
See? Craft skills abound.
Every once in a while I get inspired, but not often. I click through blogs of moms who make all sorts of crafts with their kids, from unique artwork to homemade holiday cards. Everything cute and homey and photographed like it’s being featured in a parent’s magazine. Um….yeah, I don’t do that.
I buy my kids’ Halloween Costumes online. I pick up holiday decorations at the grocery store as I walk by them. I purchase picture frames at the dollar store and (gasp!) I don’t decoupage them. Really. I just put the pictures in and set them on the shelf. Just like that. I know… I’m an awful, lazy mom.
And yet, my daughter loves to make crafts on her own. I used to worry, if I didn’t foster my kids’ imaginations, they wouldn’t develop them. Turns out, I’m not the sole determining factor in whether or not my kids turn out ok. Apparently, they have imaginations that didn’t have to come from hours of finger painting and homemade hand-puppet shows. What a relief. It’s enough work making sure they get bathed more than once a week.
I love looking at other people’s blogs. I’m also not knocking crafty moms – I admire the dedication it takes to organize crafts regularly. It’s hard, though, to not compare yourself to other women and say “Why don’t I do that with my kids? What’s wrong with me?”
Well, there are lots of things wrong with me, but not being a crafty mom isn’t one of them.