Some days she dresses herself completely. Other days she struggles getting her undies on without help. Some days she just wants to do her own thing, and other days she can't be more than two steps away from Mama. This is the see-saw of independence lately with my three and a half year old. Some days Isia is interested in testing her wings- and other days she's very firmly rooted in the ground. It's been a learning process for us both, one that I'm still learning to accommodate. Because it's so easy for me to quickly turn something she does a few times into an Expectation for the future. Which I don't think is always fair. Yes, it makes my life easier if Isia is able to put on her shoes by herself. But on the days she doesn't want to, I need to remember that she's still little. I forget this sometimes. That some days she just needs to be little- sitting in Mama's lap getting that extra love and help. And we can all use help sometimes, right? Because that's how we nurture these little hearts into helpful ones, by helping them first.