Walking on Glass, No More

We were out the other day and I realised, that for over an hour, I hadn’t needed to intervene in a potential ‘bust up’, to guide Charlotte’s behaviour or even to be her best buddy. She was riding on the highway, in blazing sunshine, with all the confidence in the world. She was playing with others (and sharing beautifully). At other times she was in her own little world, creating imaginary scenes and role playing. There used to be a time when I was scared to go out with Charlotte – those ‘terrible twos’ – but thankfully the days of walking on glass are no more (until Sophie turns two!). It was magic to take the opportunity to sit back and enjoy watching her interact and play, without having to be the entertainer or teacher.

She used to be so stubborn to accept help from anyone and, though I found her fight for independence admirable, it frustrated me so much at times… taking half an hour to button up her p-jays, buttering her bread (and half the kitchen), wanting to be in control of opening and closing all the doors/gates/curtains etc. we came across…

Then there was the few months when she refused to receive help from anyone other than ‘Mummy’ (including Daddy, which frustrated him as much as me!). ‘Mummy do…’ was perhaps the most annoying phrase we’ve heard thus far. This was even to the extent of Mummy pushing the buggy, strapping her in the car seat, getting her to bed, putting her breakfast on the table…

But now, thankfully, those ‘phases’ are behind us (and Daddy is very much in favour) and she’s now at a stage where she’ll even ask an adult at a playground to help her on the swing, if Mummy is not in immediate proximity. She still wants to know I’m close at hand, but her confidence with others is growing too.

Sophie is at an adorable age, where she’s yet to test the boundaries, but is joyfully exploring everything she can touch, taste, see and smell (though that means I’m kept extremely busy ensuring she’s safely supervised in her discoveries… especially around the toilet, the plug points and the stairs!). Down at the beach she’s still learning that certain things just don’t taste good (it really makes me gag when I see her with a mouthful of sand, but amazes me that she doesn’t cry, just smiles back at me and says, ‘goot’!). Charlotte is very good at stepping in to help avoid Sophie from a potential mishap (but at times a little over zealous in her ‘guarding’ of Sophie!).

So, all in all, the girls in Chez Lee are fairing well and (most of the time!) being little angels for Mummy. Taking them out is a pleasure and the feeling of walking on glass has, for the meantime, been firmly stored in the cupboard.