Independence

As children grow up, it seems the process consists of a never-ending stream of small independences gradually leading to their emancipation one day.

Each step along this path is for me a mixed experience. I rejoice when my children reach a necessary milestone, learn a new skill or become somehow 'easier'. I know this is the goal. This is what parenting is all about - preparing a little person for the world. At the same time it is sad to feel them inch away. It is sometimes hard to let go of their hands.

This week my youngest son is six months old and we celebrated by starting him on solid food. For his un-birthday breakfast I mixed up a small bowl of iron fortified rice cereal and my husband gave him his first spoon-fed mouthful. When the white mush entered his mouth he looked a little surprised to find texture. Instead of swallowing, he left his lower lip hanging and simply sat there looking at us with a questioning expression. 'What am I supposed to do with this?' Most of the food ended up on his bib in a drooly stream.

He fared better at lunch and by his third meal of the day, my little boy was an expert at taking the spoon! I'm looking forward to all the firsts this will mean over the next few months. First banana, first blended peas, first applesauce and yoghurt. I'm excited for those puckered facial expressions with new tastes. It's so fun to see the unexpected delight at something tasty and the looks of disgust too. These are precious, photo-worthy moments and I will be sure to post some along the way. Still, this week moved my baby boy one step along that never-ending path to independence and I am a little whistful as well.

My two-year-old's quest for independence is definitely a more forceful affair. Right now he repeatedly tells me he wants to do everything "myself!" Exclamation points definitely required.

Today we were at a friend's birthday party and on the way to our van he proclaimed his desire to walk on his own. As he jogged ahead of me down the cement path, he tripped and fell face-first onto the concrete. I actually heard the dull thud of his forehead smacking the ground.

Result: one purple goose egg, a quick trip to the emergency room, many kisses and hugs to remind me I am still needed , and one toddler who still wants to do it on his own.