I don't like the pattern we're establishing here.

[rivka]

Alex came to the table tonight with navy blue marker all over her lips, eyelids, eyebrows, and finger and toenails. "Makeup," apparently.

We told her she could have dinner after she'd washed all the marker off. Michael helped her get set up with the water (which can be hard to turn on) and her stepstool and a hand mirror to check her progress, and then came downstairs to eat his dinner while it was hot. She cried when she heard us sing grace without her.

I went up after a while, because she was begging for help. Her hands were cleanish but no other progress had been made. It turned out that she hadn't been using soap on her face, so I made some suggestions and came back down to finish my dinner. When Michael and I had both finished eating, I went back up and washed the rest of her face for her. I really had to scrub her eyelids, which was unpleasant for both of us. They still have a bluish tinge. I explained to her that makeup is special because it can go on your face without hurting you, and that isn't the case for random coloring things.

When she was finally able to come down for her dinner, she was distraught to find that we had not waited for her, and that in fact, we were finished. How tragic to be asked to eat alone! She cried again.

She claims not to have had any idea that we would be upset that she colored all over her face with marker. Uh huh.

Comments

[wiredferret.livejournal.com]

Kay is also struggling mightily with the idea of permanence. The punk pony is one thing, but she also cut the tongue out of a stuffed animal sil got me when we just started dating. I was....wroth.

My condolences.

[ailbhe]

My two just aren't allowed to do that to each *other*. It usually comes off after a day or two, in the bath.

For some reason, shampoo seems to work better on our allegedly "washable" markers than regular soap.

(I'm keeping the food colouring out of reach. I remember how long that didn't come out for, when I did it...)

[droewyn.livejournal.com]

About 3-4 months in white cat fur, as I recall.

[ailbhe]

Slightly longer than it took the summer holidays to end and me to go back to school, but I'm not sure at what *point* in the summer holidays...

[matthewwdaly.livejournal.com]

Goodness. Did she pick up some unhealthy messages about female beauty standards lately? It's almost like she got a secret subscription to Cosmo Girl for Christmas.

[tea-dragon.livejournal.com]

When he was in seventh grade, my younger brother made himself all blue with ink from an ink pen during school. I believe he was trying to dye his hair. Mom got a call from the principal, "Mrs. Cooper, I have your son here in my office... and he's blue." She had to try not to laugh when the principal was listening. I guess kids just want to be blue!

Sarah decorated her sister as Harry Potter one day- glasses and a very impressive scar. Then there was the time when she drew a bikini on herself...

This is why I hide the sharpies.

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

I still remember the time I was babysitting the kids across the street, and one of them (~2 years old) colored his nose and drew on whiskers: "look, I'm a tiger!" It was permanent marker. I was horrified, but his parents laughed.

[bosssio.livejournal.com]

one of our au pairs used to draw "watches" and "tatoos" on the boys arms. They have experimented with various markers on their skin, including their faces, ever since. I never really saw it as a big deal.

[sioneva.livejournal.com]

I would agree with this - the only person being punished is the kid (if they look silly and get made fun of) so I'm not sure it's worth being upset about it. Ciaran colored all over himself yesterday, although thankfully with semi-washable marker, but we kinda just went on as usual.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I guess she's colored on her arms and legs and drawn tattoos on herself before and it hasn't been a big deal. But to me eyelids are a different story. Also Alex is a complete pain in the ass about getting her face washed.

[aendr.livejournal.com]

Even adults get it wrong sometimes...

When I was 13 (and in an all girls school with lots of not-so-friendly girls - and I was already the clever non-sporty geek), I went to spend part of my summer holiday with my aunt who was learning acupuncture. For practise she drew on people with pen, putting dots and characters in the right places, then checking against her book. She asked my mother (a nurse) for something good for drawing on skin, so mother sent some purple skin markers... the kind used for marking incisions before operations, that come off when the skin rubs off. So, she persuaded me to volunteer for practising on. I objected when she got carried away and started on my face. It wasn't till the next day and several scrubbing attempts later that we realised that they just wouldn't wash off. It was 2 weeks before school started.

[roozle.livejournal.com]

When Talia came to the table covered with blue marker, she ran off from the table shrieking WOAD!
]

[tammylc.livejournal.com]

The one time Liam colored all over his face, he did so with washable markers, and luckily for him, it came right off.

Sounds like Alex will have learned a very good lesson...