His fingerprints are everywhere. When you look at the television screen or computer monitor, you will find JDaniel’s fingerprints. They were all over the walls until they were painted last week. I try to keep up with them, but as soon as I wash them away they return.
I can track his fingerprints around the house. They leave tell tale signs of his travels during the day. His hands are out touching everything as he walks along the hall and climbs the stairs.
There are fingerprint smudges on inside the passenger side window in the back of the car. They have been left behind after pointing out something exciting he has seen that he needed to put his finger on while he was telling me about it.
Despite putting down newspaper before doing a craft there are fingerprints made of glue, paint or glitter are left when his project is done all over the kitchen table.
For some reason there are yogurt and other food smudges that appear on the kitchen table too. Could it be that he still tries to eat with his fingers?
I know that I can’t leave these fingerprints where they are. As I mentioned above they are quickly replaced with new ones as soon as I clean them. Without cleaning them up and wiping them away they would quickly cover every surface of our house. The walls would no longer be antique white. Table would have mountains of crafting materials and food developing in the places that JDaniel sits beside. The doors crusted with finger carried substances and the windows would become opaque.
There is a small part of me that realizes that down the line there will be no small fingerprints left behind. . He will reach a stage where is eats more neatly and crafts more carefully. (Maybe?) I hope he will still have things he want to point out from windows, but he may stop pointing his finger at them through the window.
JDaniel decorated the mat in the frame below with his fingerprints. The mat surrounds a wonderful poem about fingerprints. This Mother’s Day themed poem was a wonderful reminder to me to pause to enjoy the messy fingerprints I keep finding around the house while I can.
These four year old fingerprints are a reminder of the joy he finds in eating, creating, touching his environment and pointing out wonderful things he sees.
What does the poem say?
What has been your favorite Mother’s Day gift to give or receive?
That’s so sweet!
Very cute! I adore fingerprint projects.
I only clean fingerprints off walls and windows about twice a year. It’s just too hard to keep up with! Love the poem.
Ahhh! That’s so sweet! Love the poem!
My husband blows up sometimes about fingerprints, and I keep reminding him – this too shall pass… and then we miss those marks of childhood in the house!
Love the poem and great idea. These are precious things I would never part with. I adore homemade gifts. As for fingerprints well I can’t keep up either and holy heartbreak batman they grow too fast.
Paula
@inkscrblr
Love it! Thanks for sharing!
I’m visiting from the SITS girls Spring Fling. (I think I also visited from Five Minutes for Mom’s ultimate blog party. I don’t quiiite recall). Anyway, you reminded me of something funny. We recently (as in last year) got a new car. About a week ago, we were parked in the lot next to an identical vehicle, down to the color. But nobody in our family got confused about which car was which. Why? Because both cars’ rear windows were visible as we approached. It’s very hard to miss the one with smudges where the four year old sits!
How sweet is that! (Another Spring Fling SITStah)
This is beautiful. You are such a lovely writer and a thoughtful mom.
Beautiful!! I would love it if you would share at my Mother’s Day gift link party at http://craftymomsshare.blogspot.com/2012/05/mothers-day-gifts.html. Thank you!! Happy Mother’s Day!
Love it! Thanks for the reminder that the fingerprints are something to treasure. 🙂
I have painted the walls in the stairwell a couple of times. Lately, I just cant’ bring myself to do it again. As Lil Duck soars past milestones, and wakes up every morning looking just that much older I find I have to leave the reminders of where she was just a little bit longer.
You are so wise to appreciate these reminders of your son’s youth; it’s cliche to say the time passes all too quickly but it is simply the truth.
We moms sometimes get too bogged down in the mess and the worry and the details we didn’t get to…
When all we need to worry about are the hugs.
(Okay, and maybe occasionally some anti-bacterial wipes – ha!)
After my grandkids go home, I have to admit that I leave their fingerprints on my sliding door a very long time before washing them away.
=)
My house is covered in fingerprints too but I try not to think about them as a mess. Instead it’s just a part of my time as mom.
We almost lost our pet, Jamaica, over the weekend and all I could see while we waited at home while she was in the hospital overnight were her little nose prints on the doors we have with glass panels. I just kept telling myself, I will be okay with what other’s consider dirty because to me, they remind me of someone who will forever take up a big piece of my familys’ hearts.
That’s a gorgeous frame and poem. I know just how you feel.
Oh love love love this!! So want to make this for my MIL now!
this is adorable. will have to make LATE mothers day gifts! 🙂
Oh, so sweet!! Thank you for sharing them at Crafty Moms Share Mother’s Day Gift Link Party!
I love this! So sweet. My Mia Bella got into my makeup when she was 3 and got rosy hand prints on the wall and after the mad wore off I was struck by how little those handprints were, so I framed them, right on the wall. I think I’m going to do this for my sproutlets’ nana too!
Oh my goodness, this is so sweet. What a perfect mothers day gift!
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