I Can Do It By Myself

Kaitlyn will be four in about eight days. I remember the day she was born. We were out in the yard, picking dandelion bouquets, anxiously awaiting word from my son – to find out if we had a new little boy or little girl.

My granddaughter came into this world with a head full of black hair – much to my approval. She is the spitting image of myself at about three, in fact I recently showed her a picture of myself and asked her “who is this?” to which she replied, “Kaitlyn”.

In the last year, Kaitlyn has gone from a toddler who needed help reaching the sink to wash her hands, and help getting dressed, to a little girl whose favorite line to me as of late is, “No, Grandma, I can do it by myself.”

“Do you need help getting your jeans on?”
“No, Grandma, I can do it by myself.”

A few minutes later, I hear sobs coming from the bedroom. Seeing big crocodile tears, I ask, “what’s wrong, Kaitlyn?”

“I can’t get the snap, Grandma.”

“You did a good job getting your jeans on by yourself. I’ll help you with the snap. Those snaps are hard to do!”

As this little girl becomes more and more independent, I rejoice – seeing her take pride in the abilities she has attained. Next thing I know, she will be telling me to let go of her hand as we cross the street or to let go of her on her two-wheeler. Letting go. It will come all too soon.

In the meantime, we celebrate this little girl and the place she has found in our family and in our hearts. Our family is a circle of love that will never end and Kaitlyn is a part of it.