May 7, 2008
I am an idiot
Jamie has been getting so much more independent lately. Most afternoons when it's nice, she'll ask if she can go outside and blow bubbles, run, play, whatever. (SUCH a big change from the kid who wouldn't sit on the other side of a giant window from me and play in the sandbox! Today, she came in and asked if she could take her ball out to play with. Absolutely!
So why was I so pissed off when I saw that she got the pump out and was (successfully!) adding air to her ball? She wasn't hurting anything, wasn't in any danger, wasn't even making a mess, and yet my first reaction was to yell at her to put the pump away. Is it because I feel I'm being reproached for not having the ball at the correct state of pumpedness? Because I feel guilty for not having anticipated a need? Because I don't want her touching "my" stuff?
I had the same reaction the first time she took it upon herself to get her own snack. She chose something that I would not have chosen (and that, really, isn't supposed to be a regular snack) and for some reason, I was mad. I'm supposed to do that. If she does for herself, what's my job?
Duh. My job is to teach her to do things for herself.
Thank goodness for a sleepy nursing Owen and a closed door. They saved me from being stupid. This time.
Posted by me at May 7, 2008 10:02 PM
Comments
This is one of the hardest things I have to do. Just sit back and let my children become independent beings. It is so difficult to sit back and let them try and do things their own way instead of how I would do them.
Posted by: anna at May 8, 2008 8:36 AM
Loren very often gets her own breakfast especially on the weekends. Often she gets a cup of yogurt or a Special K bar or something like that. One morning she got her own breakfast and I asked her what she had for breakfast. She said "Marshmallows!" with a happy grin. As if that were a perfectly acceptable breakfast.
I laughed and stayed in bed. There are some sacrifices you make for giving them independence. :)
Posted by: Bec at May 8, 2008 8:42 PM