Kids, They Grow Up Too Quick

J turns 15 months old today.

At lunchtime, she came whining to me, so I gathered she must be hungry.

When I offered her a bowl of tofu and fishball soup, she cried even louder.

She shook her head when I tried to feed her, sat on the floor and howled.

It's just dreadful when you don't know the cause of the problem.

Finally, the answer presented itself when I placed the bowl in front of J.

She picked up the spoon...and proceeded to feed herself!

I nervously watched her make a mess of her face, her clothes and the kitchen floor, and tried not to wince or snatch the bowl away and feed her myself.

I reasoned to myself that if I overwhelm her with my demand for perfection, she might be completely turned off and regress to being completely dependent on me.

And that's exactly what I don't want!

So I let her be, saying encouraging things while she smeared tofu all over her face.

She got fed, learnt a new skill, and we were all happy.