For years before I became an adoptive mother, I worked in art museums. First in Los Angeles, then in San Diego, and finally, before I quit my job and moved to Antigua to finish Olivia’s adoption, in San Francisco. One of the benefits of working in art museums is that all day you are surrounded by beautiful and challenging things: Walking through the galleries, in conference rooms, even in the most ordinary office corridors. Everywhere you look are paintings and sculptures, photographs and prints, installations and drawings. I miss it.

Maybe that’s why in our kitchen, I keep art supplies. Next to the table I stack reams of recycled paper from Tim’s office. In old baby wipes containers, I store crayons, pencils, and markers. Olivia and Mateo each has a whiteboard and pen, to satisfy the urge to “play teacher” whenever it strikes. They make pictures before, during, and after meals; in the car; at church; and almost every place in between.

Who knows what effect, if any, so much drawing has on my children. They love to show me their finished products as much as I love to look at them. I can no longer visit museums at much as I’d like to. For now, I view the latest masterpiece on our kitchen wall.

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Tags: adoptive families, art gallery, creative kids, drawing with children, Guatemalan adoption, LACMA, MCASD, SFMOMA

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