Big Boy Behavior

A common phrase heard in our house these days is, "Do it like a big boy." Whether I'm asking Daniel to eat in a particular manner or to assist in getting himself dressed and groomed, I add this caveat in the hopes of encouraging him to impress me with his new skills. While I'm pretty sure he doesn't know what it means to act like a "big boy," he never hesitates to imitate any action I've demonstrated for him. When I stopped cutting his pizza into small pieces, he stepped up to the challenge of eating it in strips. I figured I had just been underestimating his ability to eat in a more advanced fashion. So now I'm trying to push the envelope with other routine activities. Instead of always carrying him to and from the car, I let him walk. Rather than wrestling with him to brush his teeth, I give him the toothbrush and let him move it around his mouth. It may not be the most effective tooth cleaning, but he's doing it himself -- without squirming or agitation! We're working on getting dressed and undressed. If I ask him to give me his pajama shirt, he'll tug at it. As I'm dressing him, he knows how to put his arms through the arm holes of his shirt. Lately, I'll give him the brush or comb and let him groom his hair like a "big boy." A little part of me hopes that all of this encouragement to be independent will help down the road with such imposing tasks as potty training and sleeping in a "big boy" bed. It never hurts to be prepared!