Busted.

The hardest thing I’ve been come to find out with being a parent, thus far, is the fact that I have to let Haidyn fall so she can get back up and try again- metaphorically and actually. A couple nights ago I was making dinner and I let her stand and sit on the step stool. It’s about waist high (on me so it’s not very tall) and since she is learning how to climb up and down on things I figured why not just let her go. I knew that there was a chance that she might get hurt, but I had to weigh out my pros and cons. PRO- she’ll learn how to step up and down the step stool by herself. CON- she’d miss a step, stepping down and get hurt. I chose the pro. Why should I sit here and ban her from stepping on a step stool? She’s going to have to learn one way or another. And that’s exactly she did. 

She was doing so well, stepping up and stepping down. Standing up and sitting down. All was so great –we even clapped together because she was getting so great at it- until her foot missed the step and her lip hit the stool. I wanted to pick her up instantly to comfort her, but she wouldn’t let me. She wouldn’t let me see where she was hurt. She knew that she made the decision to step up and down the stool and she had to deal with her being hurt. I tried to comfort her nonetheless because I felt so bad that I let her do it. Why would I let her do such a thing? She had a  fat lip where she hit it, but it doesn’t bother her in the least bit. Two minutes of crying and everything was back to normal.

  I had to take time to realize, things happen.  She has to get back up and understand she can and can’t do certain things. She has to get hurt and cry for her to comprehend what she should and shouldn’t do. I often forget that though Haidyn is very young she will explore and must explore her independence. Slowly but surely, I will come to terms with it all. It's a process of learning just as it's a process for me as a parent.  Isn’t it funny how much you learn from a toddler?