Inspiration behind the Painting

When I was a young girl, my mom tucked my arms under the covers while putting me to bed at night. It was an act of love to make sure I was warm and secure but I hated it. I immediately pulled my arms out, accidentally hitting her in the face in the process. I didn’t like to be confined. This memory stuck with me.

These days, I have my own daughters to raise and I’m seeing the early signs of rebellion coming from my almost eleven-year-old daughter. I have to admit, it was causing me strife the last few weeks. I initially pushed back but it only made me more worried, frustrated, upset and feeling like I was starting to lose my daughter to the teen years. This got me thinking back to my earlier years and my desire to be free and less confined.

I decided that I had to take another look at how I was approaching things or else I was going to make us both frustrated for years to come. I needed to learn to let go some, and give her room to make more of her own decisions (even if that meant making some mistakes). I want to encourage her to seize new opportunities and be bold in life while also making good decisions and thinking things through first.

The more I thought about it, I realized that the need to have space and room to roam isn't something that leaves us. It’s a desire that continues to grow in different ways throughout life.

Today, if I find myself stuck inside for too long, I feel confined just as I did in those those younger days when I was yanking my arms out from under the covers. I get restless and want to get outside.

While my daughter and I are in different spots in life, we both share in the same desire to have space and room to roam freely. And I realized that's okay after all.