Choosing a path...L age 3.5

Today we walked my son G and his two friends to school. The snow in the yard is that crunchy, been rained on, snow. There are footprints in the snow that we followed to get out of the yard. On the way home my 3.5 yr old L, decided she was not about to hold my hand, for anything. As we walked back through the yard, me in my work shoes, as that was all that was at the front door, and my 23mos old T in my arms, I decided to take the footprint path. thought it might be easier and cause less snow to fall in my shoes.

L on the other hand took two steps in the footprint path and asked for my hand. My response; I am not going to hold your hand, you can do it. So she got out of the footprints and started her own path. I smiled. the first few steps she sunk in, but she kept on her own path, making her own trail. a few more steps and only made impressions in the snow. She sunk a few more times but that did not even phase her.

I am a proud mom, not only cause she did it on her own without my hand, but that she chose to walk a different path, to make her own.

Sometimes, we think that cause there is a path already that maybe it will be easier. I feel that following someones steps can be harder, just as L proved today. She has tiny little feet and the prints were way to large and far apart. It showed it was too hard to follow and easier just to do it on your own. Your own pace, your own path, your own.

Thanks L.