We feel like we have a decent handle on the various developmental
steps the kids are going through but we are stumped at times.
Luckily we have experimented enough to solve some of these
challenges. One of them is meal time. Specifically, I mean having a
relatively smooth meal where food is consumed, manners are
maintained and emotions are even.
 
The twins are now 2 1/2 and we are keenly aware of the delicate
balance between doing things for them and letting them do it alone.
An early area where this is evident is during meals. We have long
had them using silver rather than hands, keeping to the menu for
the meal rather than making everything under the sun and tried to
teach some reasonable behavior minimums. For some reason though
meal have tended to be mini battles. It gets exhausting after a
while. While we know the kids won't starve, it seems ok to us to
expect that some nourishment happens during meal time.
 
Anyhow, the latest test has made some quantum improvements in our
skirmishes. They had been in chairs that required mom or dad to
lift them in and out.  We decided that we should abandon the seats
with the belief that they needed some more physical independence
during the meals. We purchased a couple stools and cut the legs
down so that they belong to the kids. Once dad figured out how get
the legs the same length we were on our way. Now they can get up
and down on their own.  They seem delighted to get up and eat now.
They seem to be reciprocating by staying put at least long enough
to eat. On to the next challenge.
 
It is sometimes easy to keep trying the same thing and expecting
something different BUT we all know that is the definition of
insanity. We are learning that there are simply a long string of
nuances in this kid rearing job that we need to watch and act on as
soon as we can. And we can enjoy the rewards us success until the
next challenge comes up.