#4

Hudson is getting quite big.  But he's still our baby.

He's good-natured and sweet and funny, and his charm is absolutely disarming.  He also absolutely loves to have other people do things for him. 

I make him do anything by himself that I know he can do by himself- either simple things, or things that involve problem-solving and a little work-  just like his sisters needed to do at his age. 

Hudson has the same natural desire to be independent, to be big, to do big guy things as any three year old- but every single time he finds something to be a bit of a challenge at all- he defaults to asking for someone else to do it.  I almost always refuse, and the girls just can't refuse him.  After all, helping him makes them feel older, even if I remind them not to enable Hudson's dependence.  And, if it really was something he couldn't do, and they refused to help him, I'd probably lecture them- something about needing to be a helper and teacher for their brother.  They really can't win.

A couple of weeks ago, Hudson needed to put on his pajamas.  He's done this.  Many times.  They were one-piece, "footie" PJs- and they're way easier to get on if you do the feet first.  He tried a few times, couldn't get it to work.  I reminded him, "Feet first Hudson", and he kept insisting that I just do it for him.  I kept insisting, "No."

I left the room.  I came back, he was gone.  A while later he showed up again, fully dressed in his pajamas, and happy.  I said "See?  You did it- good job buddy."

"Eh, Gracie did it for me,"  he said, nonchalant.

"Hudson, I told you you needed to do it yourself.  You can do that for yourself, like a Daddy does."

Three beats of silence.

He cocked his head to the side, a thought-wrinkle formed above his nose, his eyes sparkled and looked straight into mine, "Your hair looks beautiful today Mommy."

And so my three year old has mastered the art of charm and distraction.  As if he was born to be a real estate agent, or a music executive.

He does really like to help Jim, though.