Big Boy Cups

Some times I feel like I'm holding Owen back. I have to keep reminding myself that I am just as new at being a parent as he is at being a kid. Although, I've got to be careful about never letting him know that.

For weeks, every time Owen has seen a cup sitting on my nightstand, the counter or the table he has gone "Cup?" and tried to drink out of it. While I've been impressed with his ability to do so I have only let him have small sips and then handed him a sippy cup.

Well, Tim took him into day care late the other day because of a check up and to our amazement, apparently ALL THEY USE are regular plastic cups!! Now I feel bad because, for weeks, he's been trying to tell us that but we haven't been listening.

It's like when we first started him at daycare. He was still on baby food and when I picked him up for the first day, his progress report sheet said he had had a sandwich and tater tots for lunch. I was floored! Not because he was too young for it but because I hadn't thought to progress him to that next level yet.

These are just prime examples of how I feel like I'm just winging it as a parent most of time. We're learning as we go just as much as he is. And you know what? It may not necessarily be a bad thing. Sure, we will always be the authority figures and the disciplinarians. We'll always be the ones to set curfews, enforce groundings and dole out allowances (at least until he's old enough to get a job). But I can't help but think that as long as we keep this perspective, we'll also keep the love and respect we have for one another.

That's one thing that I want to make sure I always give Owen, respect. It's our belief that one is born with respect, can potentially lose respect, but should never have to constantly strive to earn that respect. It's like when you start a new class and the teach says "You all have an 'A' but it's your job to keep it." His best will be good enough for me, I just need to learn to progress with his stages and not try to contain them in my preconceived notions on what they should be. I need simply learn to allow him to take the cup. There may be spills, there will probably be stains, but hey, that's life! And I wouldn't have it any other way. :o)