I Can Do It Myself!

Anyone with a two year old can identify with this book, I Can Do It Myself!

Emily Pearl is a very big girl.
She can pour her own juice.
She can tie her own shoes.
She can feed her cat Fred,
and her goldfish Ted, too.
And if just for one second her mom tries to help,
Emily says, “I can do it myself!”

How many times in the last few weeks have I had to stop and ask my son if he wanted help. The common refrain around here is, “I do it!” For the most part I let him at least try unless it’s really, really obvious mommy needs to step in. It can be a real struggle to get a young kiddo, full of themselves and the world around them, to accept help. For that matter, it can be just as hard to get an adult to admit that they are in need of a bit of assistance, eh?

The good news for Emily Pearl’s mommy is that at the end of the day, when it’s time to turn off the lights and go to bed, it turns out she is needed. Emily needs someone to tuck her into bed and tell her how very much she is loved. When the day is drawing to a close, little Emily realizes that sometimes it’s nice to let someone else help with things.

This is a cute little picture book offering by Peachtree Press. Usually I’m concerned that these types of books would present the child is a snotty, bratty sort of way. I didn’t find that to be the case with I Can Do It Myself! at all! It’s rather benign and concludes well – showing the love of a mother for her child. I liked it and found it very endearing and something I could very much identify with at this stage of both mine and my son’s life! I think I probably like this book more for me than for my son. It reminds me to make the most of each moment and hug him tight when he needs it — and wants it. Someday he really WILL be able to do things all by himself. Right now I’m here to work on patience as he stumbled about trying to prove himself to his mommy. He doesn’t really need to prove all that much either. I love him whether or not he can truly do it “all by himself.”

Carrie comes by her book obsession honestly, having descended from a long line of bibliophiles. She blogs about books regularly at Reading to Know.