We are always working on making River more independent. Shocking, I know. She’s 3.5. She can handle grabbing some of her own food, changing her own clothes, strapping herself into the car, getting and putting away her dishes, etc.

If I’m home, I’m on my own in the mornings to let Justin get a little bit of sleep. We are trying to stay busy with camps and Ramsey is in ISR swim lessons so mornings are a bit more crazy than we are accustomed too at the moment. One crazy day last week, our little alarm clock (Ramsey) slept past 8 so we were a little frantic. I’m nursing Ramsey in a rocking chair (yes. She’s still nursing. I plan to wean at some point before college.) and River was up begging for attention and help putting her clothes on.

“MOMMY I CAN’T DO IT!!” She screamed.

“YES YOU CAN!” I returned. No coffee yet and we are pretty much late to everything else for the rest of the day because of the unexpected sleep in. And I’m a yeller.

“MOMMY, IT’S TOO HARD,” I’m pretty sure Justin is awake and pretending not to be.

“YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS!!” (He’s totally awake now.)

Snap. Yes she can. She knows this.

Why are shirts SO HARD for kids to get off? I talked her through removing her night shirt and putting on a dress in painstaking step-by-mother loving-step detail and guess what? She did not leave the house naked. Yep. It would have been faster for me to do it, and she knows this (turkey). But she did it and I didn’t back down on making her.

“I can do hard things, Mommy.”

“I know you can.”

But now when she asks me to do things for her I don’t want to do… “You can do hard things, Mommy.”

Touché my smart and beautiful girl. Touché. You’re still just getting one book at bedtime.

Cheers.