"I want to do it by myself!" ~Taelin Crowe

I don't really know if this particular quote really inspires me, but it definitely one I am really hearing ALL THE TIME.  I know in my heart I want Taelin to be an independent and confident girl.  But seriously, right now the phrase has been causing great internal frustration for me.

It is unclear to me whether or not it truly happens proportionally to the hurry that I am in, but it sure seems to.  I keep telling myself to calm down and breathe but it doesn't always help.  I think it is the worst when I know she can't really physically do it for whatever reason.  I know the only way she is going to be able to do whatever it is she is trying to do is to try, but when it is a matter of strength or fine motor skills I wish she would just listen to reason.

I will probably laugh at the simplicity of that last statement in 10 years when we are entering pre-teen age and the idea of reasoning with a two-year old sounds like a better alternative.  I mean, if I am honest with myself, I have never really been one to listen to reason.  For example, I wish the me now could go back to the me of 10 years ago and tell her to listen to the people that were giving her advice, but chances are the me of then would just roll her eyes and think to herself, "I want to do it by myself."

All of this is bringing me to the conclusion that parenting is never really going to get any easier.  There are things that will pass, like temper tantrums (hopefully), but in its place will be something just as challenging.  Just when I think have something figured out, it is like the rules get changed.  That being said, I didn't really expect it to be easy and I hope it doesn't sound like I am complaining.  It is just nice to step back every once and awhile and think about things.

I was scrapbooking with some friends the other day and was working on some pictures from her 2nd birthday and I couldn't believe how much she has changed already. And while there are things like timeouts and tantrums that make me wish 2 would be over (yes, I know, I have been told that 3 is worse...), I know that a year from now I am going to wonder where the time went.

So, I guess I just need to deal with the "I want to do it by myself," and just keep breathing.  And when that doesn't work out, I will just have to do what Taelin does sometimes...put myself in timeout.  I mean really, one minute for each year I am old...no talking and being all by myself?  I could probably handle it.