Independence

Naomi is all about being able to do things on her own. We probably hear the phrase "I DO IT" about 50 times a day....actually that's being conservative. As she realizes she's capable of more and more things, she desperately wants to have more independence. Her teachers at school try to encourage this by giving them tasks and chores while in class. At home, it's worked to our advantage in many situations...when she doesn't want to take a bath, we can say, "Ok i'll turn on the water". Sure enough you'll hear little stomping feet running towards the bathroom followed by a, "NO, I'll Do it!!" It's also annoying at times, like when we're trying to cross the street, and she wants to be able to walk on her own, without holding onto our hands, or when she wants to climb up and down the steps all by herself. And sometimes, it's hard not to get frustrated or impatient when we're in a rush trying to get to the next thing we're supposed to be doing in our overly busy lives, when all Naomi wants to do is to be allowed to do something on her own...like brushing her own teeth, or putting on her own clothes and shoes.
It's definitely hard, and we have to remind ourselves that her wanting to do things on her own and for herself is a good thing. But it's easy to remember cause when we find ourselves getting frustrated, she'll do something oh so cute....like pulling her skirt on over her head and yelling out, "I DID IT!!!"