Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs A mom who took her eyes off her son for a matter of minutes was left stunned at what happened while her back was turned.Today, it is important for parents to remain calm when facing situations of extreme stress involving a child. It can even be helpful to find the humor in these kinds of situations.That is what Grace Kaage, one of the owners of a real estate and design business based in Chicago, was able to do when her son Christian decided to get a little creative around the house.What happened that fateful day remains something of a blur to Kaage. “It all happened so fast,” she told Newsweek. “He was playing with cars and his racetrack in the living room while I was cooking dinner in the kitchen. It’s not like he was in another room far away—I have a direct line of sight from the kitchen to the living room!”I actually remember thinking, ‘This is so nice, I finally get a moment to myself cook and everyone is quiet and happy. How lovely,'” Kaage said. “Then, my husband walked in from the other room and gasped. I looked up from the stove, and the damage was done.”Kaage showcased the “damage” in a video posted to her Instagram, @gracekaage. In it, Christian took viewers on a tour of the living room where, with his mom unawares, he had been busy coloring in their white couches with a red pen. “He did the unthinkable,” Kaage wrote alongside the clip.”It was a two-minute hit and run,” she said. “We use sharpies to label our design inventory. I thought they were all hidden away.”The way that parents address their child’s misbehavior can have a significant impact. In these situations, it is important to stay calm and avoid yelling or any other strict parenting techniques more associated with parenting in decades gone by.In 2011, a study published in the journal Neuroimage found that this harsher approach can negatively impact the way a child’s brain develops.Based on a close examination of MRI scans, researchers identified a difference in the parts of the brain associated with processing sound and language.Kaage said she can still remember her son’s reaction to them discovering what he had done.”He was proud of himself,” she said. “I actually think he thought we’d be excited for him. The first thing he said to me with a great big smile was, ‘Mommy, look—I colored everything!’ I nearly died.”Despite the extent of the damage done, Kaage was able to stay calm. “He’s only 2, so he truly just didn’t know any better,” she said. “I’m a pretty calm person in general, and in the scheme of things, this was just a learning opportunity for both my son and I.”It helped that Kaage had gone through something similar with their daughter a couple of years ago when she colored in the walls of their home. They had talked about it, and it never happened again.”I never thought my son would color on my furniture, but it happened. We spoke about it, and he will never do it again. I know my kids, and yelling doesn’t help them,” Kaage said. “Giving them the opportunity to clean up their messes and learn from their mistakes does help.”The good news is that, with “some serious elbow grease,” they were able to get the couches cleaned. Kaage shared her video in the hope that other parents would be able to relate to the situation. ” Nobody is perfect,” she said. “Mistakes happen.””I didn’t know how creative our son Christian really was until he showed us his artistic abilities on the couches,” Kaage added. “Silver lining; maybe he’s a future designer.”
Grace Kaage’s son Christian gives viewers on Instagram a tour of what he got up to while his mom’s back was turned.
Grace Kaage’s son Christian gives viewers on Instagram a tour of what he got up to while his mom’s back was turned.
Instagram/gracekaage
