If your child is five or older, enlist her help. Younger kids won't mind if you prune alone, but ask first.

Explain that artists have portfolios in which they keep only their favorite work. It's her chance to be a "real" artist.

"Help your children tune in to what they like, not what you like," says Julie Nicholson, a San Francisco child and family therapist. "They will develop a discriminating palate."