I can do it!

Usually, when I feed Gavin his cereal and veggies, he grabs the spoon once or twice during the meal and tries to feed himself.

Last night, he wanted to do the whole meal on his own. Every time I held the spoon toward him, he reached for it instead of just opening his mouth. Who am I to say no to a little guy who just wants to learn a new skill? We've been incorporating some Montessori principles in his early learning, and feeding himself fits right in with that philosophy:

'By setting up a home environment that enables children to take care of their own self-care throughout the day, the home environment can help the child develop independence and a strong sense of self. We can support our children to be able to say: "I can do it!" and "I did it myself!"' --Montessori.org

It was the messiest meal we've ever had. There were peas down his shirt and up his sleeves, and a good quarter of the food spilled down his bib. But he was super-pleased with himself. Every time I told him, "Good job!" after a bite, he'd grin and jump around in his chair. It was so worth the 30 minutes of kitchen cleaning and the 15 minute bath afterwards.

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