Interior designer Grace Kaage is drawn to white furniture — unfortunately, so is her 2-year-old son, Christian.
Recently, Christian decided the family’s couches needed a little zhuzhing, so he uncapped a red Sharpie and got to work.
In an Instagram reel with more than 32 million views, Christian proudly shows off his improvements to his mom, who somehow manages to stay remarkably calm.
“What happened?” Kaage asks in a gentle and measured voice.
“I colored,” Christian replies. The little boy then takes Kaage’s hand and leads her into the living room.
“He was so excited to give me a tour,” Kaage tells TODAY.com. “He thought that he had had such an artistic moment.”
While Christian sits in time out, Kaage peppers the preschooler with questions, such as “Where do we color?”
“Only a book,” Christian responds.
“Only in a BOOK is dangerous phrasing,” one person wrote in the comments.
“I want to clarify that he meant a coloring book!” Kaage explains in an interview with TODAY.com.
Other reactions included:
- “So where does he live now?”
- “He was entitled to a lawyer. Your interrogation will be tossed and no one will convict him.”
- “I think I just found Christian on eBay”
- “You can either have white furniture or a 2 year old. You can’t have both. Those are definitely the rules.”
- “I want whatever she is taking.”
- “I’m not into this gentle parenting thing.”
- “Your patience is award-winning.”
- “He has ‘and imma do it again’ written all over his face.”
- “Well … you’re the one that chose white furniture. He is innocent!”
- “How on earth did I bring up my daughter as a single parent and never once have her scribble on or ruin anything? Oh yes, I remember — a firm clear NO to any behavior I disapproved of…”
Kaage, who lives in Chicago, says it’s not her style to yell. She values the learning experience, and wants her kids to feel comfortable coming to her when they make questionable choices.
“He really didn’t know he was doing anything wrong. It’s common sense for an adult, but he’s only 2,” Kaage explains, noting that when her 4-year-old daughter, Soren, was Christian’s age, they had a similar incident.
“She colored on our walls with multiple markers,” Kaage recalls. “We handled it pretty much the same way, and she never did it again.”
For those wondering, the Kaages white couches are back to their pristine state — and yes, Christian pitched in!
“I’m excited to share with you that we got every last drop of red sharpie off our white couches,” Kaage captioned an Instagram reel, adding more details about her stain protective measures and cleaning regiment.
