Lauren's 5th Birthday

Today is Lauren's 5th birthday. She was so excited. I think she was more excited about her birthday than even Christmas. She woke up this morning talking about how today she was 5 years old. She is out to prove that she can do it all by herself. We are learning how to bath ourselves and even how to take a shower. Independence at her age is always such a big deal. The hard thing for a mom is you want them to be independent but what they want to do by themselves is not always the easiest thing for them to do. Sometimes it is easier for us just to do it for them. But this is not the way to raise children who can take care of themselves. So, along with her learning her independence, I am learning how to be patient, calm, understanding and how not to control everything. hmmmm... I wonder who is learning the bigger lesson. Me or Lauren?