Supporting a child's dreams—one small step at a time

It's 8:15 am and already we've had a dance party, built a railroad, ate some waffles and did yoga (albeit all on "toddler time"—about 10 minutes each). I got a little work-work done, too. I seriously don't know how it all happens, but that's the magic of living with a toddler.

As I was making coffee this morning and getting our waffles warmed up (Daddy had made them for us earlier before leaving for work), my little A was yelling out "Boot! Boot!" She was trying to put on some boots. We weren't going anywhere yet. It's not boot weather. But, she wanted those boots on. She's at a stage where she can kind of do it herself, but not quite, and so I heard her getting really frustrated the way she does. She let out the little angry scream-growl. "Boot! Boot!" She cried. So I went over and helped her get them on. Then she did a little dance. Mission accomplished.

It then occurred to me that we can help our kids achieve their "dreams" no matter how small, just by being around and helping them out a little. It doesn't have to be a big deal and it doesn't have to make sense. It especially doesn't have to make sense when they are toddlers. She really wanted those boots on and it made her happy to have them on. I only hope I can approach helping her achieve bigger things later in life with the simplicity of putting on some boots. And I hope I can be a support to what she wants, rather than imposing what I want.