Progress Report - Doing OK!

When Luis was very little, I looked forward to his well-baby check ups: I wanted to hear the pediatrician say that Luis was doing well, as it felt like validation that I was doing a good job as his mom. Back then, there were pretty clear benchmarks based on weight, height and head circumference. Then there were motor developments liking using the pincer grip instead of his whole fist, learning to roll over, crawl and sit up on his own. Now, it's not so straightforward. But today, I had a nice reminder that Diego and I are doing an OK job.

Diego and Luis invited me to go golfing with them this afternoon. I declined, but said I would go next weekend. When Luis reported the news back to Diego, Diego replied, "Mommy's not coming? I am so sad!" Luis paused for just a moment, put his arms around Diego and said, "I'm so sorry that you feel sad. You don't have to feel sad." And then he gave Diego a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

I've long known the expression that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It takes on a whole new meaning when you are trying to teach your child have to live and deal with the big world.