Ava the artist

Rebecca hesitated for a moment before walking over to a girl sprawled on a colorful rug near the far corner of the playroom. Ava, as the caregivers had called her, was surrounded by crayons and an impressive collection of doodles. The young woman’s pastel romper clung slightly askew to her frame, its loose fit emphasizing the puffy outline of her diaper. Yet Ava didn’t seem to care in the slightest, her movements carefree and brimming with the unfiltered enthusiasm of a child lost in their world of imagination.

“Hi there,” Rebecca said softly, kneeling down beside her.

Ava looked up, her face bright with delight, her crayon pausing mid-stroke on the paper. “Oh, hi! Are you new?” she asked, her words tumbling out quickly, as if she’d been waiting for someone to join her. Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed a nearby drawing and thrust it toward Rebecca. “Look! I just finished this one. It’s a rainbow! Isn’t it pretty?”

Rebecca studied the crayon drawing, the rainbow’s colors slightly wobbly but vibrant. “It’s beautiful,” she said, a small smile breaking across her face.

“Thanks!” Ava beamed, returning to her doodles with a flourish of purple crayon. Her energy was infectious, her giggles punctuating the sound of scribbling. “I’ve been making a whole bunch of them. I’m going to ask Miss Heather if I can hang them up later. She says the walls here can always use more decorations!”

Rebecca found herself relaxing, sitting fully on the rug now. She watched as Ava switched to a yellow crayon, her small fingers gripping it tightly as she added a smiling sun to the corner of the page.

“Do you draw a lot?” Rebecca asked, genuinely curious.

“Not before,” Ava admitted, her tongue poking out slightly as she focused on her work. “I was always too busy with boring grown-up stuff. But now?” She paused, waving her arms dramatically to indicate the room around her. “Now I can just play and color all day if I want! No meetings, no laundry, no silly deadlines. Just crayons, naps, and fun.”

Her joy was so palpable that Rebecca couldn’t help but laugh softly. “It sounds like you’re really enjoying it here.”

“Oh, I love it,” Ava said without hesitation. She set down her crayon and tapped the front of her diaper with a satisfied grin. “And these? Way better than grown-up undies. No accidents, no worries, just comfy and cozy.”

Rebecca’s cheeks turned pink at Ava’s unabashed enthusiasm, but Ava didn’t seem to notice. She plucked another crayon from the pile, adding a few fluffy clouds to her picture.

“You should try it,” Ava said, glancing at Rebecca with a sly smile. “Once you let go of all the grown-up stuff, it’s so much easier. Plus, the caregivers here are super nice. They make sure you’re always comfy and happy.”

Rebecca nodded slowly, Ava’s words sticking with her. Maybe there really was something freeing about letting go, about not overthinking every little thing.

As Ava finished her drawing, she held it up proudly for Rebecca to see. “Ta-da! What do you think?”

“It’s wonderful,” Rebecca said sincerely.

“Wanna color with me?” Ava asked, pushing a pile of crayons toward Rebecca with a playful nudge. “It’s way more fun with a friend.”