The thing about life with a three year old is that it constantly requires me readjusting my relationship to myself in life. I am consistently needing to hone back my own tendencies towards control as we discuss situations in our home. Seasoning a soup can be a battle of the greatest measure. Folding the laundry I bit my lip. Then there are moments which I can allow her to be just as controlling as she needs to be. Like making a Halloween Costume.
Of course I have an idea of how I'm going to put the pieces of felt together, to best result in the friendly monster that she's requested to be. So Gaber has fell asleep and I pull out my scraps of felt and fleece, we make a drawing, and start cutting. I make a base, and start carefully piecing the bits I think should go together; and then Ce starts getting her creative juices going. And she has ideas, this one. She starts layering and adding and creating, and I pull back, hold in my plans and realize that this is one of those blessed moments in parenting when you can just sit back and say yes.
Because it's a costume! It's creativity expressed! This is the moment to give her the tools to let go and create!
And that feels amazing, don't you agree?
