The other morning, Sam announced to us he was cold, ran upstairs, grabbed a sweater, put it on, and then came back downstairs to play.

IT WAS AMAZING.

Because that’s never happened before. Because it usually goes like this.

Sam: Mom, I’m cold.

Me: Okay, let me drop everything to go upstairs, get you a sweater, bring it downstairs, and put it on your body.

This action was a glimmer of … hope. That he will be more and more self-sustaining. And I knew that was going to happen (eventually) but still. So wonderful.

I guess we should be doing more to get him to do more things on his own. We get him to put his dishes in the sink, he can grab a snack and brush his teeth but that’s about it at 4 and a half.  But every day and more and more I see how it gets easier.

Sometimes I wonder what it is to be a good mother. And I think, “The ability to pick things up off the floor and make food on demand.”

Of course, there are other things too… like laundry! (Zing!) But so much of my life and existence currently as a mother is joyful servitude (and maybe not so joyful).

Maybe today it’s a sweater and tomorrow it’s … underwear? Laundry? Doing the dishes? Buckling his own seatbelt?

What will we do with all of that extra time, I wonder?

And then I remember that, oh right, we will be taking care of Kit.

But maybe he can help?