I could certainly recall numerous times when i stole my kids homework. 
"…Chances are you’ve already heard it’s the year of the adult coloring book. Publications have touted the books’ ability to help adults “de-stress and self-express”. Coloring has been said to be able to help you achieve mindfulness, banish anxiety, and even deal with trauma. Some of the books explicitly label themselves as “art therapy.”
Is this trend as great as it’s cracked up to be? We asked some professionals.
Cathy Malchiodi, an art therapist, wrote critically about adult coloring. “Some people are adamant that coloring books are a path to mindfulness, meditation and some kind of psychological nirvana,” Malchiodi said over the phone. “I find that many of the loudest proponents are actually those that create the coloring books.”
Malchiodi admitted to finding the trend disappointing. “This year, there have been several really good studies about why people should engage in creative activity, which doesn’t involve coloring in someone else’s designs,” she said, citing a study that was released by the Mayo Clinic this spring.“It involves actually pursuing some form of art-making. It can be very helpful to people’s mental health and physical health."
The gist of the criticism? If you want to color, knock yourself out, but don’t call it meditation or therapy.
Drena Fagen, an art therapist and an adjunct instructor at New York University’s Steinhardt School, has a rosier view of the books, and said she has actually used them in therapy sessions. Still, she makes a distinction between the books and therapy: “I don’t consider the coloring books as art therapy; I consider the coloring books therapeutic, which is not the same thing.”
Fagen said that the activity can be mindful or mindless, depending on how one approaches it. “Any creative endeavor that can in some way help somebody discover something about themselves or find a space that makes them feel safe and comfortable or allows them an opportunity to be with their own thoughts, I don’t see how we can criticize that. It seems like it’s only bringing good things to the world.”
Bennett echoed Fagen, saying that although there isn’t “the research support for coloring specifically” as a treatment, it can be part of a larger plan for coping with uncomfortable feelings. "
( Guardian)
just waiting …