bedroom decore - a random thought

So, I was thinking today about what I would do differently if we were planning for our boys after referral and court. One really random, but important thing is their room decor. Being that they were 3, that not infant/ not big boy stage, I choose a zoo theme. I painted big faces of animals in frames on the wall, put a jungle animal border up and made their blankets jungle/zoo animal theme. I did only the basic as I figured they would outgrow this theme soon enough. What I did not know is that they were going to be terrified of animals and have an aversion to anything soft and cuddly since they had never been exposed to it before. I am sooooo thankful I did not paint any lions, to which they were terrified and started crying and screaming over. In truth it took them a year before they were interested in any stuffed animals, of which I actually sat down and MADE many special ones to go with the room theme (one of those was a lion). I used the Pottery Barn kids ideas from a catalog that year and made the animals in it and painted the paintings on the walls. Ok it is really cute and great looking....... but not so great for the boys. I would have been much better off with a car theme.

Kids from Ethiopia are often afraid of animals and don't really know what to do with stuffed animals. Oh, I know there are always exceptions, but still, I would stay away from animal themes. I do know that most boys have a fascination with autos and planes, and they are familiar. So, either would be a good pick. If I were just starting and knew about he animal thing..... I would choose to paint road signs and traffic lights on the walls, paint or buy a border of a street with cars on it.  I would give them one of those semis that holds a ton of matchbox cars. I would paint their names on street signs. And......... they would not be afraid of it, they would think it was heaven.

Maybe that is what we will change the theme to when they do outgrow the zoo, which they have now become accustomed to and like. :) Just a thought.