true colors...

And I'll see your true colors

Shining through

I see your true colors

And that's why I love you

So don't be afraid to let them show

Your true colors

True colors are beautiful,

Like a rainbow

~ Cyndi Lauper-True Colors

My youngest daughter has been asking me for several months now for me to paint her room. The color on her walls was from when she used to share the room with her older sister. The color was a pretty periwinkle that was picked out by me. ME! Not HER! And so, there is where the issue arose. SHE wanted to pick out her OWN color for her OWN room.

Being a youngest child of the family growing up I could strongly relate to this! You see, being the youngest has a weird set of dynamics attached to it. Being the youngest gets one initiated into the you-get-everyone-else's-hand-me-downs club..whether you like it or not! This includes everything from that  'too-expensive  dress that Grandma bought and older sister never wore it, but hey..youngest daughter still has a shot at wearing it' ....to..... every odd toy, trinket, book, junky-this-and-that, that sister and brother no longer want but don't want to part with ...to... sisters old bedding, shoes, hair prettys and even underwear! So, realizing that youngest daughter is entitled to a little "piece of her own" from time to time, I accepted her offer to paint her room. I figured, a gallon of paint.. how hard could that be?.  huh....

I started the conversation with daughter as such, "so, I think we should look at some paint colors to get an idea of what would be nice for your room." Before I could even finish, my daughters eyes lit up so big and she lept up into the air for joy! Finally! This was HER time to have a little piece of herself. She then continued to tell me that she knew exactly what color(S) she wanted her room. Um. colors? Yep! Colors!!

She didn't want any more "boring" color in her room. She wanted to jazz it up with 2 brightish colors of teal and green. We took several trips to the paint stores and each and everytime she came back to the same two BRIGHTISH colors of teal and green. Even with Dad's gentle persuasion, this girl was in no-way going to budge from her colorful choices. Her mind was set! Her colorful imagination was going to be splashed across her bedroom walls, whether Mom or Dad liked it or not.

Now, I took time to rationalize this colorful decision (purchase) ahead of us. "Do I really want to stare at those brightish walls everyday? Do those colors even match? Do I let her "win" this and not step in and change her mind??" But the answer that yelled back to me was... nah! Run with it! This young(est) girl is HAPPY!

I went to make the paint purchase this past weekend. I had them mix 2 cans of paint - one gallon of Simply Aqua and one gallon of Celery. I went home and got right to work. Several hours later a little girls room was transformed into a brightish room of "WOW"! When husband came in he gave me a "Whoa! This sure is bright!". Son came in and didn't make a sound...he just gave me wide eyes, and walked back out. Oldest daughter gave me an "oh, MY!"  But, when youngest daughter walked in and saw her finished room for the first time, the effort, the cost, the brightishness was ALL worth it! Her first words were, "I just LOVE it! It is so nice and BRIGHT!!"

Not all of us have the same "colors" inside each of us. Some of us (like me) tend to be sage, tan, and boring beige's. Others, like my youngest, thrive on the brightest, boldest, loudest colors in the crayon box. And, you know what? That is really fine with me. I love her vibrant personality and her brightish walls! After all, that's why I love her.