We took Ava sledding this afternoon at a hill near our house. She certainly is becoming an independent little thing. It seems like she always wants to do things by herself, whether it’s shovel the sidewalk using the little plastic shovel her neighbor friend let her borrow, or pull the sled all the way to the hill (which we put an end to when it became clear we wouldn’t get to the hill before dark).
Ava and I went down the hill together the first time. When we got to the top for the second go, she wanted to do it alone. Leah wasn’t thrilled about the idea. Ava was one of the younger kids there, and most of the other kids her age were going down the hill with their parents. I was thrilled that she wanted to try it. So, I set Ava in the plastic tobaggon, showed her where to hang on, and gave her a small push. She zipped right down the slope without tipping over, finally coming to rest just past her mom, who had run to the bottom of the hill to wait for Ava. She wanted to go again. And she did, a couple times. It was interesting to watch her watching the other kids to see what they were doing.
Independence is great, and I’m thrilled that Ava is pretty confident. But it already makes me a little nervous about the day she wants to stay over at a friend’s house for the first time or drive by herself or go off to college. Must…live…in…the…moment….