Messy!?

The parents on my caseload have made so much progress in their attitudes toward messy activities. When I have a messy activity coming up, I always warn them the week before and ask their permission. Most parents have the response of "Messy?!? Oh, well I guess that is alright..." and when I bring in the messy activity there is usually a look of dread or anxiety on the Mothers faces. After doing a few activities that Mom anticipated to be very messy, and turned out not to be, they are more comfortable with trying the next messy activity. They often comment that whatever it is we are doing- from play dough, to finger painting, to the child preparing pudding- they would have never tried it unless I had made them. To try these new fun things, and hear about how important they can be for their child's development, helps them to be confident to do them again another time on their own.

JT