Art of Parenting: Father Frames Six-Year-Old’s Uncommissioned Wall Drawing

Kids will be kids, and sometimes they will surprise you by doing things like drawing on the walls, leaving parents with an array of options for how to respond.

Dr. Eric Masicotte is a neurosurgeon, associate professor, and medical director of the mTBI/Concussion Program at the University of Toronto, and a pretty tolerant parent, if his response to this unexpected doodle is any indicator.

Instead of scolding his son for adding a green house to a clean white wall of their home, he and his wife decided to turn this little masterpiece into a gallery-worthy work. They framed it in matte black, right where it is.

“Your kids are going to do things they shouldn’t. It helps if you married someone with a sense of humor,” Masicotte wrote of their creative decision. The caption really makes the piece: “Marker on latex paint” as the medium, with the description “Gifted to his parents, by surprise. Nov. 13th.”

 

Having gone viral on Twitter, this unexpectedly popular artwork has drawn people in, creating an array of funny responses riffing on serious critical approaches worthy of the art world (and wider audiences). Whether all of this praise and attention will lead this six-year-old to pursue a career in drawing (or architecture) remains to be seen.