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You are here: Home / Paint and Color / Just Paint the Room (A Story About my Daughter)

Just Paint the Room (A Story About my Daughter)

November 10, 2015 By Karen Cooper 12 Comments

For today’s Thirty Days of Gratitude post, I’m stepping away from the tidying up. Today I’m going to talk about my strong-willed, incredibly brave and awesome daughter, and about paint. Yes, these are connected…just bear with me for a bit.

My daughter – from the time she was about two – has had an opinion about the decor in her room. (She’s pretty much had an opinion about everything, actually, but let’s just focus on decor today.)

daughter's room in old house - bed side view - thediybungalow.com

Her nursery was painted lavender, with purple, pink, yellow, and green bedding.

M room during the first renovation - thediybungalow.com

The “during” picture – but you can see the pretty wall color.

At age five, she informed me that this color – and whole color scheme with the bedding and rug – were “horrible.” She wanted her entire room green. Grass green. Kermit green.

I said absolutely not.

Instead, I came up with this compromise:

my daughter's green room - thediybungalow.com

A bold green stripe around the room on crisp white walls. Green rug, green bedding, green in the window shades.

She loved it!

And then, two years later, we moved.

And her room was beige. And she was unhappy about this.

I told her to wait. I told her we’d paint the room, but let’s live with the beige for a bit and see if her green bedding, teal curtains, and teal poufs were enough color.

They weren’t. She insisted we paint the room and she chose this color – Cooled Blue by HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams:

paint color in M's room - Cooled Blue by HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams - thediybungalow.com

Taken during the painting process…

It’s bright. It’s bold.

It’s totally her.

Anytime someone paints a room a bold, bright color, there’s inevitably this reaction from some:

“I can’t believe you painted a room that dark!”

“I can’t believe you painted a room with that bright of a color.”

“You’ll never be able to paint over that.”

“I could never paint a room that color.”

And I get that. It’s a bold choice. You know that, if you ever want to paint over it, there’s a lot of primer in your future.

But it’s just paint, people.

My daughter was just diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. Crohn’s Disease is an auto-immune condition where your body fights with your digestive tract.

Luckily, we caught M’s early, it’s a moderate case (not severe), and it’s limited to one area of her digestive tract. She has started taking medication for it and already has gained back all of the weight she lost in the past year, and she looks and feels so much healthier now.

She’ll have to take this medicine for the rest of her life (or until they find a cure), and that kind of sucks. Although it’s certainly not as bad as feeling crappy all the time.

For her part, M has been a rock star through all of this. She has had all kinds of procedures – both in and out of the hospital – to figure out that she has Crohn’s. Today she is getting four injections of medicine. Through all of it, she has been brave, tough, kind, and has maintained her sense of humor and positive outlook.

So when this brave girl told me that she wanted her room painted a bright and bold teal, I absolutely and immediately agreed. It’s the least I can do to make this wonderful girl happy after all she’s gone through and all she’s about to go through.

It’s just paint. And that “just paint” makes her smile every time she walks in her room. And that’s worth so much more than the $25 can of primer I might need later, down the road, to cover that paint.

To those who ask the questions above – about how I could paint a room such a bold color – this is why. Because a bold girl lives in that room and she deserves a room that reflects her personality and style.

And it’s just paint.

When your kid asks you to paint his or her room green or teal or orange with purple polka dots, don’t be afraid. Just do it. They are only this age once.

And it’s just paint.

Just paint the room.

Want to see the finished room? Click here to see my daughter’s blue and green bedroom!

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Filed Under: Decorating, Paint and Color, Stories from the Bungalow 12 Comments

About Karen Cooper

Hi! I'm Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer” - I traded in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY adventures. Join me for DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organizing projects and tips as I transform a 1929 Tudor bungalow into our home. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.

« The Land of Unfinished Projects (My Workshop and Office)
A Bunch of Non-Tidying-Up Gratitude »




Comments

  1. Robin says

    November 10, 2015 at 11:06 am

    Love it! Rocking out here with Wisteria Purple and Cay Blue, I agree wholeheartedly. It’s their space and if it makes them happy, so be it. A little loud paint never hurt anyone. Just close the door!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      November 11, 2015 at 8:28 pm

      Love it! I can’t wait to come see it. 😉 Thanks!

      Reply
  2. Chrissy Weeks says

    November 10, 2015 at 1:09 pm

    But it’s not just paint……. and that is why you did it. It is an easy way to make her feel as though she has her own space in the world. You honored her as a person and not “just a kid”. I think you are an amazing mom. And I know your kiddo loves you and appreciates you letting her be herself.

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      November 11, 2015 at 8:28 pm

      Thank you, friend. I appreciate that. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Mickey Wood says

    November 10, 2015 at 1:09 pm

    Absolutely!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      November 11, 2015 at 8:28 pm

      Thanks, Mickey! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Carlla Limbaugh says

    November 10, 2015 at 2:05 pm

    You’re right, it’s just paint, but more important, you did it for your daughter. It’s something she’ll remember the rest of her life, when her wonderful MOM painted her room just the right color for her bright, beautiful, bold, delightful daughter. You made me cry happy tears today reading your blog. I think you are a wonderful mom. BYW, my son & DIL did the same for my wonderful grandson, one wall in his room is LA Dodger/Dallas Cowboy blue, and he loves it.
    I hope all is well with your family and hope you have a happy holiday season.

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      November 11, 2015 at 8:27 pm

      Thank you, Carlla, for your sweet words. I really appreciate them! All the best to you as well.

      Reply
  5. Mary D says

    November 10, 2015 at 10:00 pm

    Bold choices, from “just a kid”, you raised her well!
    Well wishes to M, seems to me she has a brave spirit and wish her all the best on her health journey.

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      November 11, 2015 at 8:27 pm

      Thank you, Mary! She is a brave spirit, for sure.

      Reply
  6. Hope Williams says

    November 12, 2015 at 2:23 pm

    Karen you just plain ROCK on being a great mom stage! You are a real hero for persevering through to get your daughter healthier. I know how difficult that alone can be. Add to that all your other responsibilities, you rock the stage!
    Now for M. Little one, your family loves you to the moon and back! It is crystal clear even virtually! Your choice in paint color is awesome too! Green in Cherokee means “hope”. Knowing this now, your spirit truly shines with you recent diagnosis. I believe that you will face your challenges, and that you will come out with a deeper sense of the world around you. Remember, you are strong, independent, (except during a flare), smart and probably a great sense of humor too. You have a support system most folks would envy. You will rock the stage one day, I know cause you are one of your mamas’ miniature rocker stars!
    Take care of you, Hope

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      November 13, 2015 at 10:00 am

      Thank you, Hope. I will pass along your sweet sentiments to her. She is a rock star. I’m just her mom. 😉 Thank you again!!

      Reply

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Hi! I’m Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer,” because I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. This blog is all about DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organization. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.




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About Karen

A "recovering lawyer," I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home. Read More…

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