I love catching my little one doing unexpected things on his own initiative.
He got an awesome pirate ship and Peter Pan set up from Santa, which has provided hours of swashbuckling, crocodile-wrestling, kidnapping and swordfighting fun. The other morning he said he wanted to wear his Captain Hook costume while he played pirates. I helped him get it all out and on and went about my morning chores.
A half-hour or so later the house was just a bit too quiet. I wandered around looking for Silas and found this:
Not satisfied with costume alone, he sought out the face paints and happily decorated himself to reflect his vision of a fierce, not foppish Captain Hook.
A day or so later, I "caught" him exploring the master bathroom cabinets and drawers after masterfully clipping his own toenails for the first time. Earlier in December I witnessed a similar determination while decorating holiday cookies for the first time on his own.
Is there anything more gratifying that seeing your young person exert his own will, execute his own ideas, and exude such self-confidence and pride in his own independence. These small scale expressions of initiative foreshadow future actions and choices by a growing independent spirit. His willingness to try on his own...that's my favorite part.
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