Let Them Grow

I am one of those hovering mothers when it comes to kids doing projects.  Whether it's a puzzle or a craft project I'm generally in the middle of it.  In my defense my children are still quite young and prone to make large messes and loose things (like puzzle pieces).  I watched my husbands take on "helping" the other day and was impressed at the result.  My two-year-old had brought out a puzzle (one he's never done by himself before) and asked his dad if he would help him put it together.  My husband's response was, "can I watch?" My little one eagerly said yes and dumped the puzzle on the floor at his feet and proceeded to put it together with no help. 

Many times in my life I've found myself holding to my children's current skill set and not backing off enough to let them grow and forgetting that their capability is changing on almost a daily basis.  It's that way with adults too.  It's hard to let people to grow because I remember them as their 10, 15 or 20 year old self.  Many times we face challenges in our lives that require us to aquire new skills (my Primary class has taught me so much about working with kids and people in general) if we don't have regular contact with someone I don't see how much they are changing and growing.  When we're blinded by our own past experience we fail to recognize the amazing things that are happening in the people around us.  So my challenge to you is to recognize the growth in the people around you and compliment them when you get the chance.