I was just thinking...
How I don't typically DO things for Emma. Like, tie her shoes, bring food to her room, carry her bag, etc., because I want her to know how to do things. She needs skills to succeed in life. She doesn't need to be catered to.
BUT if she is using her voice- not screams or grunts! - and she ASKS for help, I am THERE. I don't care what kind of looks we might get, if she asks me to remove the paper from her waffle cone at the Dairy Castle, I will. She's 11 1/2 and nearly my height. She looks like a teenager. But when she ASKS, I am THERE. If we are out somewhere and she asks for help tying her shoe, you bet I'm gonna oblige.
Obliging is the relief part. So much of our lives is teaching, enforcing, stern voice, and "You Do It, Emma."
THIS. This is what I look forward to- these times when I can say, "Yes, baby, I'll help you. "