Never in my wildest dreams did I think that someone opening a string cheese would be notable, certainly not seen as a significant accomplishment. I couldn't have imagined how excited I would be, even to the point that I'd tell the world about it a week later while still grinning.
But here I am, about to tell you the story. It's not an exciting story. It's actually quite unremarkable. I was preparing Teddy's lunch, and he helped himself to a string cheese from the refrigerator. I told him to give it to me to open, but instead he headed to the table by himself.
It's not unusual for Teddy to self-serve food from the fridge. If it's mandarin oranges, he squishes them while clenching them tightly, not realizing we need to assist him in peeling them. If it's frozen waffles or pancakes, he runs off with the entire bag as frozen breakfast items are a staple in his diet ... still frozen, of course. If it's string cheese, he sometimes tries to bite it through the plastic and other times asks for assistance.
This time, however, he sat down and proceeded to work on opening it by himself. He used a pincher grasp to hold each piece of the plastic and started to pull them apart. He got about 1/3 of the way done and then held it to me to finish. I told him he was doing great and to keep going. He continued pulling the plastic apart until he had it all the way done. Then he pried out the string cheese and promptly ate it in about 3 bites, par for the course for Teddy.
I was amazed at his focus, his pincher grasp, his persistence to finish the task rather than ripping out the cheese as soon as the plastic was partly undone. All such simple things, but all combined to a big moment for him.
And he did it while rocking his dad's stocking cap because that's how he rolls.
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| Mr. Independent managed to open his own string cheese. |
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