We have reached a few milestones with Julia...

My daugher, Julia, is 4-years-old. Literally, for years I've tried off and on to teach her how to use a mouse for the kids computer learning games we have. Up to this point, it's been fruitless. A few nights ago, she declared that she wanted to play the I Spy Jr. computer game that we have. I pop it in and I'm tired, so I suggest that she does all the clicking. I guide her hand over the areas and show her went to click.

Like a fish takes to water, she started to slowly moving the mouse and clicking the images in the right way. Now she's off and running and managed to not only finish one of the mini games, but to also start several new mini games within the program. It then that I was happy and sad. Happy that she had a achieved the independence, but also sad that she doesn't need my help as much.

I'm already starting to embarrass her, too.

I picked her up from daycare the other day and ask, "What did you do today?" while we're walking through the center and towards the door to leave. Normally, I wait to ask her when we get in the car.

She says quietly, "Stop talking."

I thought I didn't hear her right, so I ask again, "What did you do today?"

Julia responds with, "I need you to stop talking now."

"What?" I ask increduously.

"Stop talking!" Julia exclaims.

It was only until we were driving away in the car that she told me what she did that day.

Thinking it might have been a fluke, I ask her again the next day, "What did you do today?"

She again responds with, "Stop talking!"

"Why can't I speak to you," I ask.

"I need you to stop talking to me!" Julia exclaims.

I don't know if it's a class thing or if she's seen her friends not talking to their parents when they get picked up because it's not something I've seen in any of her movies that she watches.

It's interesting to see her get an independent streak, but it kind of stings when your daughter tells you to stop talking to her.

That doesn't come at a price, though. We're walking to the car and she says yesterday, "I want some Newtons (Fig Newtons)."

I say, "Why should I give you Newtons? You won't talk to me."

She hasn't gotten the correlation between me controlling her food and snack intack and her being nice to me, but we've got years to work on that (heh heh).