Today I handed Lou a pack of raisins. He asked me how he could open it. I explained he just had to pull the cardboard flap up.
He paused and was quiet for a second. I asked if he needed help. Then he exclaimed he did it! He opened the raisins by himself.
He asked me if I knew how he could open the raisins and I said no. He said “because I’m five.”
It might not seem like a big deal for a five year old to open a pack of raisins. Of course he could open the box.
But it’s not about the raisins. He could open them when he was four as well. But now that he’s five he feels like a big boy and so the things that he can do on his own are a validation of that.
I can do this because I’m five. And being five means I can do things on my own.
For a kiddo who has had quite a bit to deal with in his young life it is amazing to see his sense of agency grow. For him to do the things he’s always been capable of. To feel proud of himself.
Five is a big milestone. And there are so many more milestones to come. But for now opening those raisins feels like one worth celebrating.
