Independence

There is a general theme that runs through our parenting style around here. We try to treat Millie with respect and meet her developmental needs at every stage. A big part of that is setting up areas of the house where she can be independent and manage her own wants and needs. There is a lovely Montessori saying, from the child's perspective, that I often repeat in my head when thinking about arranging Millie's spaces:

"Help me to do it myself"

I really want to document her young toddler spaces around the house before they change again as she grows. I want to remember the little peg rack where she hangs her quilted yellow coat, her favorite board books next to the potty, the tiny glasses and bowls in the kitchen.

This is on my mind partly because of her birthday coming up, but also because we are seeing a progression in her independence. She has always been very capable (as all children are), but recently she has begun to string these acts together into some serious big girl behavior. Brady and I have been patting ourselves on the back a bit lately, talking about how fulfilling it is to see our parenting decisions pay off.

This afternoon Millie and I spent a good 1.5 hours in the park exploring the woods with our friends. When we got home I helped Millie take her coat and shoes off. Then she used the potty entirely by herself (this is very exciting and has been happening for a couple of weeks now) while I got my stuff off. I told her I had to make dinner, so could she please go play until it was ready. Usually she plays in the kitchen on the floor, mixing up pretend things and such, but not today. Without saying a word, she got herself a snack from the pantry and set up shop at her art table! I almost died it was so cute. She got out her watercolors (I filled the water jar for her), then her colored pencils. After a while she took out the chalk too. The whole time munching away on a breakfast bar. I was starting to feel a little left out, but eventually she called me in with her standard "Mama! Down, down, down!", pointing at the floor for me to sit and watch her. So I did :)

This second photo is of her describing how she made the picture hanging on the wall.

Arranging moss and acorns from our walk