A Nice Day for a Walk. And a Lesson or Two.

The weather's been gorgeous today! Siennalee and I took full advantage of it and went down to the park, played for quite a while, and then walked to the mailboxes.

This was the first time we've walked so much without me putting her in a stroller, so it was pretty neat. She's still learning her walking "boundaries" - staying on the sidewalk, not running too far ahead of mommie, etc.

On the way back she started to play a game where she won't come with me (and runs away when I go to grab her hand), so a couple houses away from home, I stopped chasing her and just kept walking.

Slowly, resolutely, I marched on, knowing that at some point she has to understand that she needs to make the choice to follow the wiser person who knows the way, or she could find herself lost, alone and unprotected.

She stood there, rooted to the ground, and stared open-mouthed as I got farther and farther away. Once she started following slowly, I turned around to walk with her, and she turned and ran back the opposite direction. I wheeled around and resumed walking home. She followed.

Heart beating madly, mind calculating how far and fast I'd have to run to snatch her up if danger came racing up the road, I went into the house and peeked my head out the door. She'd followed me and now stood at end of the driveway, looking at the house but not seeing me peeking out the door.

I saw her little mouth mutely form the word "Mah-meee" and ZOOM! I flew out to get her! She wrapped her little arms around my neck and asked, "What you doin' Mommie?"

Consequences are hard to learn; this I've known for years. What is slowly being revealed to me now, is how hard they are to teach.