As you know, I have been trying to slowly give Mary some independence. While she is perfectly capable of caring for her body on her own, I have a hard time accepting that she is doing it properly. Mary has always showered, washed, and brushed up in our bathroom. There is a bathroom close to her room, but when she showers there, she tends to play, rather than clean. Not only that, but it's smaller and I can't get to her as easily, so she doesn't use it. I have just recently let her shower without any assistance, although, every once in a while I will wash her hair to make sure she is thorough. Even teeth brushing, I will go in and re-brush.
These last 2 weeks, I have been recuperating from gallbladder surgery. Piece of cake for me, but the first week I was unable to move as quickly as I usually do. With Mary being as developed as she is, my husband no longer has any roll in assisting her, so I just let go, and let her do it all.
At some point in the week, it hit me, this is not so bad. I realized how nice it was to not have to get up and get her moving. As a result of me not leading her, she made less of a fuss. Obviously, like all kids, she relished in the independence. So, I decided to move her officially and completely out of our bathroom. No more spit streaks in my sink! I went to the store and bought her some special little toiletries, and additional accessories for her bathroom. When Mary got home from school, I explained this all to her, I let her know how proud of her I was, and how much she is growing up. You should have seen her face light up.
Now, my evenings are a little less hectic, and Mary is a lot more cooperative about getting in the shower. I suppose these milestones happened with all of my children, but with Mary, it always feels like a physical force. I try to look at it as God's way of letting me see the importance in all of life's little things.
2 comments:
It is hard to let go, though, isn't it? But once you do it, it is a beautiful thing. Mary is really growing up, and she probably thinks this is just the cat's meow. See, getting rid of that gall bladder turned into something good!
Oh, I am so happy to hear that this turned out to be a blessing for both you and Mary! I bet it was hard for you to have to let go of doing these things for her, but since your health would not allow it for a short amount of time, it seemed that this transition took place sort of naturally. Maybe this was God's plan all along. I am glad to hear that Mary took to it like a duck to water, and that now you are able to let go of this responsibility a little more easily. This is a real milestone for both you and her, and I am happy it is working out!
Post a Comment