I do it on my own

Sweet Pea is trying to be such a big boy…trying to snap his fleece shirt up on his own, wanting to make his own hot cocoa, pulling his socks on his feet, getting his own water to drink. I’m mostly loving that he’s trying to be more independent and trying things even if he’s not sure his idea will work. Cutie Pie tends more toward not trying something if he’s not sure his idea will succeed. Sweet Pea is much more ready to say “I do it on my own” whereas Cutie Pie is more ready to ask for help. Both are OK – to an extent!

According to Parents.com 3 year olds should be able to get dressed, feed themselves, be willing to make new friends, start things, do basic chores, make simple 3 word sentences and more. Every day I see Sweet Pea growing, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.

I look to magazines like this just for an idea as to where he should be compared to other kiddos, but I don’t expect him to be right in line with them. for example, he’s very small for his age, but can outclimb and outrun most others his age. He also talks in complete sentences of much more than 3 words, and use pretty advanced vocabulary compared to other 3 year olds he is around.

What I’m saying is I’m glad Sweet Pea is who he is, that he wants to grow and discover on his own. That he is learning through play and the processes of repeating things until he gets them right. I understand in some ways he is more advanced than his peers, but in other ways he’s lagging behind them. All of this is OK because he is becoming exactly who he should be. Life would be a little more mundane if he were like his peers in most ways.

I promise myself every night before I go to bed, when my mind just can’t take another “I do it on my own” that he is becoming a person and needs to explore, succeed and fail in order to grow. Do you?