Rhea Do It

So, Rhea has become little miss independence. She wants to do everything. All by herself. This morning we started to go up the stairs and Rhea turned, looked at me and said, "Rhea all by self." Fine, I didn't want to carry her anyway. So, I let her walk up the stairs and she did it, all by herself.

This new independent streak can be great - Rhea now puts her own toys in the bathtub, which saves me from having to pick them out and put them in. So, great!

It can also be a bit of a challenge. Rhea was a little warm and a lot cranky last night, so we wanted to give her some Tylenol before going out to dinner with Grandpa and Grandma S. When we tried to put the dropper in Rhea's mouth she said, "Rhea do it." No we said, mommy or daddy have to do it...blah, blah. When I attempted to give the medicine to her, she tried to grab it out of my hand. Go ahead, I thought, try to do it yourself....and I let her try until she finally realized she couldn't and asked for help.

That's my new approach to her independence. I love that she is so strong-willed and confident and I don't want to do anything to damper that. But, as my mom told me last night, I still have to keep the upper hand. So, as long as the activity poses no danger and won't cause a big mess, then fine, try it. If she can do it, great! If not, eventually she'll ask for help and I guess at some point, she'll figure out what she can and can't do herself. At least, I hope she will!