Gaining Independence

I have been doing more and more reading (and not for pleasure) now that Ella is getting a bit older and showing more of a personality. She can be very strong willed at times so I have been putting some of my parenting books to good use.  I have read numerous times, in my books, in my Parents magazine and on the online site I get some information from that it's good to give your child some independence as long as it doesn't cause any harm. They often refer to allowing your child to help you while making meals in your kitchen. WELL.....my kitchen doesn't really have enough room for just me, let alone a small messy little helper. But most importantly, Ella just isn't quite OLD enough yet to really help. Before too long I'm sure her messy little fingers will be helping me, but for now I am trying to allow her to have some sense of independence.

I have read the suggestion of giving your child or children a cupboard of their own in the kitchen, full of all kinds of plastic containers and utensils safe for them to learn and explore. Well, like I said my kitchen is very small and I don't have enough space for everything I NEED, let alone an extra one I can have as a fun cabinet for Ella. So I decided to arrange one of our cabinets so that all the tupperware containers were on the bottom shelf, allowing a safe way for Ella to play.

Well I gave it a go for a few times and all I have to say is the people who right this stuff obviously don't realize how big of a mess can be made in such a short amount of time. When you factor in the attention span of a 13 month old + the mess, I feel it = a HUGE MESS FOR MOMMY!!!

  

She had a great time and it sure beats having her hanging on my leg whining "mama", "mama" while I'm trying to cook. BUT...... I think it will be even better when she is alittle older and I teach her that she has to put everything BACK in the cupboard.