It's absolutely amazing to me how quickly little girls take to mothering. We gave Teagan a baby doll for Christmas when she'd just turned one. I had thought she was too young, but after a playdate at a friend's house spent cuddling a doll I realized that she just needed to be given a chance. To see my baby carrying a baby around was just darling.
From the get go, she knew how to cradle it and give it a bottle. I marveled at how someone so young could be so loving and nurturing. Then she got distracted and dropped it on its head. Back to life. Back to reality.
Her mothering has become more sophisticated since then, and now she's comforting her babies when she imagines that they cry. I walked into her room the other day to find her with a doll over her shoulder, resting her head on its head, patting its back and saying "It's okay...I know...I know..." I nearly cried. That's a lie. I cried. I like to think that I had a smidge to do with it - although I know that so much of it is natural and inherent.
As I was reporting this to Brandon while we were going through the bedtime routine, we both let out a resounding "Aww" and turned to look at Teagan who was playing with her little kitchen. Taking one baby out of the dishwasher and another out of the oven. She didn't learn that part from me.
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