Blessing #6 {Proper Motivation}

Prelude:

We have been encouraging Maelee to climb up the slide (some say this particular slide is a little dangerous and reminiscent of a 1950's playground) ladder for a couple of weeks now. We stand behind her in case she falls but don't help, just encourage her to use her legs and arm muscles to get herself to the top. You know, encouraging motor skill development that sort of thing. So far the farthest we get her up is maybe half way before she says "help me," or "done."

Proper Motivation:

On a rare stroller walk this week (usually we meander by foot) Maelee spied a flat softball circumference sized rock in the grass. She wanted it to ride with her in the stroller and her wish was granted. We were strollering past the slide and she decided it was time to stop the train. We then spent the next 20 minutes with Maelee climbing to the very top of the slide by herself, asking me to hand her the rock, sliding the rock down, and then sliding herself down.

Conclusion:

Eureka, all we needed was the proper motivation to get our Maelee (or "Mimi" as she calls herself) to climb to the top of the slide on her own and slide down. We bragged about it to our Daddy all throughout dinner and hurried back to the slide to show him Maelee's newest trick.

Here's to you proper motivation for our blessing #6 of 2009, may you be as cheap to find for potty training as you were for slide climbing.

PS - If you look closely in the proof below, some pinecones got rides down the slide when we went back with Daddy after diner.