Life's Learning Curve

It's been building for a while, this action-reaction cycle between Little M and myself. It's been exhausting trying to sort out the best way to meet my three-year-old where she is at and teach her the more... ahem... appropriate ways of speaking to others (mainly her mother, who birthed her into this world and was sure we had a good TEN YEARS yet before dealing with some of this stuff!) :).

As I took a step back, I stopped asking myself what do I do NOW!? and started asking...

What is she trying to tell me?

What is causing these power struggles to begin with?

Where is her tender little heart at right now?

The answer became clear - I need to learn, again, to let go and give her room to explore her independence; to offer her choices so she can continue to learn to make good decisions. To stay firm, but calm, and allow some of these things to become opportunities for u.n.d.e.r.s.t.a.n.d.i.n.g.

Letting go. It starts so soon (too soon!!), it seems! But the beautiful thing is - the more safe space I release for her to grow into, the more she blossoms.