Strange Drawings

Well, I'm not an expert, But there's a few things I have heard of. 1. Somtimes kids see scary movies or such on tv and draw them to help them face fears. 2. This one Isnt plesent to talk about and I pray this isnt the case but somtimes when kids are being abused one way or another they tend to draw things with alot of black . From my understanding. I could be wrong but I cant say for sure. 3. She could just be trying drawking new things to see how you react. She could have seen such items some where and wants to see what you think. 4. A friend draws pic's like that. If your really concerned I suggest seeking a profentional. They can give advice. Remember I'm not an expert or anything just going off things iv heard. So keep that in mind when reading this. Thanks

She doesn't watch scary movies. We are very protective parents. She has never been abused. We believe in positive reinforcement. We took her to see an expert and they said it could be because of when her twin died in the womb. She said the two people in the ground probably stood for her and her sister inside the womb. And the old man probably stood for something that scares her. She said she might think it's her fault that she lived and the other child died.

It's common for young children (5-7) to become preoccupied with death. I had a little boy in my kindergarten class that went through a similiar phase a few months ago, and the phase went away as quickly as it started - about 2 weeks. He not only drew about death, but spoke about it constantly and intergrated it into his play. Neither his parents nor I could figure out where it came from, but personally I think something got him thinking about death, which is hard to comprehend even for adults. In leiu of talking about specifics, he acted it out to process it. Children are very suseptable to images. It's possible that a fleeting image in a cartoon or book could have triggered it. A classmate maybe have had a death in the family or told a scary/death related story. Also, in the past few weeks, kids in school have learned about Martin Luther King and various presidents. The notion that these great people are "not alive anymore" can spur curiosity about death. I don't mean to say that "it's just a phase" because its possible that it is not. What I suggest is that you continue to observe her, talk to her teachers and see if this is happening at school, and encourage her to talk about her artwork - she might let you know what's on her mind. If she says the pictures are in her head, ask her if she's seen pictures like that, and if so, where? Does the old man have a name? What's he doing? As a teacher, dark color choices don't concern me as much as hard, angry strokes, scribble-outs, and angry faces. Aside from her artwork, is she otherwise fine? Sleeping through the night? These are things that a professional will want to know if you feel you need to pursue it. Just my 2 cents - hope it helps. Feel free to send me a private message if you wish.

interesting, my children draw these bizarre things and use alot of black and red in their drawings....my children were abused. So i just figured they are working things out in the drawing. however, when i see some pictures hanging up in my childs daycare and my 8 yr old childs school, they appear to be kinda familiar..... dark colors.....scarey things, at least thats what they tell me...."its a monster eating all the kids"....(this was not my kid who said that) Im not saying the pictures dont mean anything, but it appears alot of kids get into scary things and draw them out. IF your real concerned you can seek a professional. I think with adopted kids we are always trying to make sure that we deal with every issue that comes up....when sometimes, its really nothing..... dadfor2

Hi, I have a friend who is a child psychotherapist. She uses drawing with children as a way to engage with them and have them talk about what is troubling them. Drawing is a good way to deal with things that are frightening or troubling just as an adult would talk about these things, or write in a journal about them. Children have fears - children who are not abused have fears. I think it's important for our kids to know that they can talk with us about whatever is on their minds. Sometimes a 'why' question is difficult for young children to answer. But if we let our children know that we are open to hearing whatever is in their minds and hearts, they will talk about their fears. We want to protect our children from fears but live provides them with fear as well as joy and we can be there for them whatever is happening. NancyNic

I'm a child psychologist and I would not worry if her behavior and demeanor have not changed. Ask her about the pictures and her feelings about what she drew. Ask her the feelings of the people in the picture to get her to talk about things. If her behavior does change you might try some short term play therapy with her.

As the others have said, there could be dozens of different reasons for her drawings, not all ominous. She may just be very creative and telling different kinds of stories with her pictures than she used to. This doesn't mean there is anything wrong unless you've got other indicators.