There's hope for them yet

As a parent, sometimes you wonder if your child will ever become self-sufficient. Therefore I consider it a minor (but important) victory that Reed has reached the age when he can (and will) independently refill the toilet paper. We're not totally there yet, because if there are no replacement rolls to be found, that's as far as his effort will go. But still! Progress!

Nature vs. nurture

Amy really likes to know exactly what is going to happen, and when. Down to the nth detail. If she can be the one actually making the plans, then all the better. A person might think about that and say "Well, Lara, it seems to me that you are an awful lot like that too." And that person would be correct.

The thing is...I don't remember being like that as a kid, I really think that's something I grew into as I've gotten older. I wish I could ask my Mom if I really was like this as a kid, because as far as I can remember, I was clueless and (mostly) went with the flow.

Maybe it's because Amy's life is so much more scheduled than mine was at the same age. Perhaps that's led her to this constant need for order in her activities. All we know is that it's best to explain to her just how things are planned to go: when we'll leave, how long it will take to get there, how long we'll stay, who will be there, what we'll do while we're there. I have read that kids who want to always know the schedule are ones who may feel like they don't have a lot of control in their life, and it helps settle them if they are prepared. This makes a lot of sense, since kids have very little control over where they go on a daily basis.

Let me tell you it can get a little monotonous to answer question after question (after question after question). But we will do our best to answer with smiles and help Amy to be prepared as she goes through the world.

The apple...doesn't fall far from the tree.