Following her lead

How quickly the seasons turn. One moment, she's in her crib. The next, she's in her toddler bed (or floor futon or Mama & Dad's bed). Or going from no fluoride toothpaste to with fluoride, including learning how to not swallow toothpaste, as well as spit and rinse. And now, her carseat is front-facing, so she can finally stretch her legs out without her knees bent and pressed up against the sides of her seat or up to her chest. Most recently, N. surprised us by *finally* giving up the bottle. Some folks might cringe at the thought of their kid still on the bottle past one year old. I tried various cups for a while, then gave up as it was too much pressure.  Strangely enough, she would be okay with drinking milk in the afternoon from her cup, but not in the morning and definitely not in the evening. I was concerned when she turned one, then one-and-a-half, then two . . . because she wasn't completely off the bottle yet. Suddenly, it's been one cup of milk after another for the past couple of days. We dare not do the happy dance and point it out to her for fear of jinxing the situation. But it's taught me an important lesson -- things happen when they're supposed to. Books, doctors, grandparents, other parents can be your guides, but our child is our best one. All we have to do is follow her lead. 

My mom and auntie insist that I, along with my cousins, were all potty trained by two. For N., we've had the potty out, and I have stickers in a jar. We read the books and watch the videos. Not happening just yet. In fact, N. is so aware of her bodily functions, it disgusts her to have to poo. She's not constipated. She just dislikes the feeling of having to excrete. So we're all for the no pressure potty learning. No timers, no forced sitting.  If she wants to sit on the potty, she can. If she doesn't, that's okay too. When she's ready, she'll let us know. All we have to do is follow her lead. 

Timing certainly is everything. Whether it's the right job, the right relationship, or the right circumstance. We want for ourselves to explore, discover, learn and develop our own understanding as we happen upon opportunities. Our kids deserve the same respect -- to explore, discover, learn and develop their own understanding as we work to create opportunities for them. 

All we have to do is follow their lead.