I have learned a tremendous amount about life from Katie. She is amazing!
Today while putting away a pile of toys and laundry I came across a small toy Katie had received as a "prize". I know many children are incredibly excited about receiving such an item - for sure Cara & Julia are thrilled - for Katie this is a task. We have her look into a box, a box of items none of which she truly desires, and demand that she choose one. We adults think we're doing this wonderful thing by rewarding Katie with a "prize", but all she sees is another task. She must look into this box that really holds no interest for her, choose a prize none of which are appealing, and then deal with our excitement over what she has chosen. Wow, just wow, I can praise her all day for putting up with our nonsensical behavior!
I imagine one day, when she has fluent speech, her saying to me, "I didn't want any of those things, but I picked the one that was the best option." Isn't that how life goes? ... often we're faced with a box of terrible options, none of which we truly desire, and we pick the best one available.
Katie does it with such grace each and every time! Sometimes she even gives us a smile or "shares" said item with us (hands it off and walks away). Most of the time she brings this meaningless item home and into the giveaway pile it goes. The most important thing is that she's making decisions, and she's learning to choose the most desirable option when none of it is truly what she wants.
My Life 2016 ... I'm planning to desire more of what is in my box in 2017, or maybe I'll just start tossing choices into the giveaway pile :)
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