Not Quite Picasso - Yet!

Remember when you were a kid and some things just struck fear into you heart?  Things like:  dentists, chores, school and, in my case, Lima beans.  (The latter still doesn't cross my lips.)  Then I became a Mom and there were other fears like red Kool-Aid in the living room and winter baseball games and toys with tiny sharp pieces that attack in the middle of the night.

Granmas have fears, too.  The biggest one is please-God-don't-let-him-get-hurt-on-my-watch, but it's not the only one.  Like how much supervision does a 10-year-old need on the computer (answer: more than you might think, though you might have to ask what he is doing to determine the appropriate amount of fear.  This Granma is a techno-flop. Sigh.).  But even with the younger ones, who I believe I still outrank in the bigger and stronger and smarter categories there are things that make my blood run cold.


Want to see Granma quake?  Just say - PlayDoh.  I loved it as a kid.  I loved it as a Mom (did I mention the table they played at was surrounded by a sea of linoleum).  I have recently resigned myself to the doh-side as a Granma. Please permit me to pass on words of mold-able wisdom. We Granmas have to "stick" together.

First, keep it far, far away from carpet - or resign yourself to spotted carpet.  Yes, it dries, and yes, you can pick it out once it does.  But if your grandbabies love it as much as mine do, the colorful additions will quickly overwhelm your desire to de-spot the carpet.

Secondly, and this is key, do NOT buy the regular sized tubs of the goo - and NEVER supersize it! First of all, whatever color you pull out, they will want another.  And when they con you into it, you will end up putting away a muddy shade of brown or gray - AND they will ask you what happen to the green or red or yellow, as if you magically made the colors disappear.  If you have pets (or ignored the carpet warning) that newly formed neutral shade will also be hairy.  No one really wants to play with hairy grey slime the next week.  So - buy the tiny tubs that they make to go in birthday gift bags.  You will get 20 colors, all in small quantities.  They can be used twice (at most) and then thrown out.  Is that wasteful?  Maybe, but the wisdom time has afforded me permits this luxury.

And finally, PlayDoh is not just for sculpting anymore.  Apparently, it is now a wearable accessory.  Grab the camera and have some fun!  It's time to forget the carpet and conquer your fears! As Homer Simpson would say, "Doh!"