One of the kids’ responsibilities is to take their dishes to the sink when they are done eating.  Even my two year-old does this.  Of course (monkey see, monkey do) he has to pour out the rest of his water into the sink before he puts his cup in (you all know how much kids love to pour!).  😉

When he was pouring the water out, he looked away and thus the water spilled onto the floor.  He grunted, “Oh mi” (his version of “Oh man”) and softly slapped his hands on this thighs.  He turned around, lifting up his hands, as if to ask me what should be done.  I turned it back around and asked, “What should you do now?”

He quickly turned around, went to the stove to grab the towel that was hanging there and wiped up the water off the floor.  He tried hanging the towel back up, but got frustrated, so he just put it on the counter.

As he walked by, I thanked him, told him he was so big, and gave him a high-five and  knuckles!  He proudly sauntered into the living room.

Now I could have very easily gotten upset over the spilled water, I could have gotten onto my other kids about the example they set for their little brother.  Fortunately, I didn’t, I kept my cool, gave him the responsibility to fix it, he did, and he felt so good about himself.

This is just one example of how giving your kids a little independence makes a world of difference!  😉