valeria ist das kind, das ich immer sein wollte

Since I was little, I’ve always loved painting – but I never dared to show my pictures to anyone. I was shy, anxious, and thought my art wasn’t good enough. I always felt ashamed of the kids who bravely showed their works in class, who made mistakes without fear, and who trusted themselves. Until I met Valeria – an 11-year-old girl with curly blonde hair and eyes that shine like stars when she paints. Valeria is the child I always wanted to be: brave, confident, and unimpressed by the opinions of others.
We met in our school’s art class. Our teacher, Miss Sophie, had asked us to paint a picture of something that makes us happy. I sat in the corner, gently brushing the paper, not daring to draw anything specific. Valeria sat right next to me, and when she saw my unfinished drawing, she said kindly: “That’s wonderful! Why don’t you draw more boldly?” I blushed and shook my head: “It’s not good. I make too many mistakes.”

Valeria grinned and showed me her own picture: a colorful sky with a rainbow, birds, and a small house made of candy. It wasn’t perfect – the lines were irregular, the colors were sometimes too bright – but it radiated joy and confidence. “Mistakes are good,” she said as she kept painting. “They make the picture unique. I make mistakes too, but I don’t care. I paint because it’s fun.”

In the weeks that followed, we started painting together in art class. Valeria showed me how to mix colors boldly, how not to be afraid of mistakes, and how to bring my own emotions into the picture. She told me that art isn’t about being perfect, but about showing something of yourself. I noticed my fears slowly fading – I started making bigger brushstrokes, choosing better color combinations, and even showing my pictures in class.

One day, Valeria brought a folder with her – inside were all her pictures, from the first messy drawings she made as a little kid to her current works. “See?”, she said. “I wasn’t always this good. But I never gave up because I love it.” In that moment, I realized: Valeria is the child I always wanted to be. Not because she’s a perfect artist, but because she’s brave, lives her passion, and doesn’t let fear stop her.

Today, I paint every day, and I even had a small exhibition at school. When I think of Valeria, I remember her words: “Do what you love, without fear.” She showed me that it’s okay to make mistakes, that confidence isn’t something you’re born with, but something you practice. Valeria is the child I always wanted to be – and thanks to her, I’m one step closer to becoming that today.

Last week, I gave Valeria a picture – a rainbow, just like the one she showed me the first time. On it, I wrote: “Thank you for showing me how to be brave. Valeria is the child I always wanted to be, and you’ve inspired me to discover my own potential.” She laughed and kissed me on the cheek: “You’re already the child you want to be – you just have to see it yourself.”