My pre-teen son loves bonding, and I love it! My husband and I try to find unique ways to bond with him to have fun and to create memories that he would remember forever. We found out that the best way to connect with him at this age is to get on what he is interested in doing. For example, he loves bonding with his dad over watching a movie at the theatre or playing Ipad games together or swimming. And he loves bonding with me over cooking a simple dish like meatballs or baking a cookie or walking in the park.
Pottery lesson at The Art Bar, Phnom Penh
Pete loves art. He loves to draw, he loves crafting, and he loves to create something new from scratch. So one weekend afternoon, while my husband was swamped with work, Pete and I indulged ourselves in a pottery lesson at The Art Bar in Phnom Penh.
Pottery lesson at The Art Bar, Phnom Penh
Pottery lesson at The Art Bar, Phnom Penh
The Art Bar is a tidy, cozy place with experienced staff. Pete and I went there before for a “Sip and Paint” session. For both activities, our instructor was Mr Danny, he was competent and patient and nice.
Pete with our instructor, Mr Danny
When Pete heard about the idea – pottery lesson, he was ecstatic. And I couldn’t forget the enthusiastic look on his face from getting out a bag of clay and getting his hands dirty – preparing the clay, centering the clay on the wheel (pounding, palming, coiling, etc), shaping, and tearing (using a string to cut piece off the hump).
Pottery lesson at The Art Bar, Phnom Penh
Pottery lesson at The Art Bar, Phnom Penh
It was our first time to use the pottery wheel, and we both had so much fun. It felt kind of relaxing especially when your hand was on the swirling clay and your feet were on the ground. We enjoyed every part of the process, it was so magically creative.
Pottery lesson at The Art Bar, Phnom Penh
Absolutely, our pottery lesson at The Art Bar was a beautiful and exciting experience. And, I believe that shared times like this with my son provides him with marvelous memories, helps him express himself, and helps him develop out-of-the-box thinking.
Little Lilly Meets the World 