We went for a walk in a local Audubon preserve - one with miraculously little poison ivy, but plenty of mud and colorful leaves and pretty scenery. Asa walked by himself the entire time, staying on the path and generally being very good, although occasionally annoyed by our half-realized gestures of assistance.
We had a snack by the side of this lake, and sat for longer than Asa would have liked. Whereas a couple of months ago, he'd have gone pelting away with little regard for us, today he stopped when we asked him to, and waited with something resembling patience.
The one time he accepted help, it was to make sure our hearts were securely lodged in our throats. As always with a toddler - you give a little, you take a little.
He's growing in leaps and bounds, and it's amazing to watch. Amazing, and still, those clearly-spoken words tear your heart wide open: "Don't need help, Mummy!"
I know you don't, sweetie, but maybe I do.
You don't think that ever changes, do you?
ReplyDeleteI like to think I've gotten a little more polite about refusing help or advice - at least a "No, thank you." ;)
ReplyDeleteOtherwise... only in when and how the help is offered and refused. (I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have bothered trying to restrain me from jumping into a stream, fully clothed, in mid-October. Just a hunch.)
I was thinking more about the heart-rending part of parenthood. Think about the parental learning curve as a huge, life-long game of "Mother May I"... ranging from "pweeze, mummy" to "can I please?" to "but everyone else is doing it!" to "I think I should...." to "Oh, you mean I didn't tell you I'd done that?" And No, you may not jump in that stream. Because I said so, that's why!
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