Mr. Independent

Parker's quest for independence has begun and along with that...tantrums! I've been allowing him to practice self-feeding with a spoon during breakfast time when he's eating oatmeal or grits. He's been doing a great job with that because those foods easily stick to the spoon. Now, he thinks anytime there's a bowl and a spoon he has to have the bowl in front of him and no one can help him. This doesn't work out so well for things like soup. So, of course, a fit of rage follows. This either makes meal time really messy or really loud. Most of the time I choose the messy versus the loud. Parker happily stabs away at his food with his spoon and when all else fails he just picks up whatever he's eating with his hands. Although it is frustrating sometimes because it would be easier for me to spoon feed him, I'm enjoying seeing Parker grow and develop. Parker has his daddy's temper and my dramatic side. This makes for a cute (well, most of the time) fall on the floor tantrum when he doesn't get his way. Most of the time he just whimpers and falls on the floor. Although sometimes that leads to bangs and bruises from hitting some object which leads to wails. Thankfully, we haven't had to deal with these fits in public. Oh the joys of toddlerhood!