My son has started to get extremely interested in feeding himself using utensils so we have purchased them their own bowls and cutlery. The first night we let him feed himself we were having stew and he did great. My daughter isn't really interested but since her brother had cutlery she needed some too. I put her bowl and cutlery in front of her and she lunged at the spoon and started in.
While our son was able to fish around had get food on his spoon and then navigate the spoon to his mouth to eat it, our daughter pushed the food around her bowl but rarely managed to get any on her spoon. If she did manage to load up her spoon the food rarely made it to her mouth without falling off. I asked her if I could help her several times but she would glare at me and say "noo" and carry on pushing food around her bowl.
It is so interesting to watch two different personalities at work. My son is willing to let me help him in most things once he has struggled a bit. It usually only takes a few attempts with help for him to master a task. My daughter rarely lets me help her unless it is a task that she just cannot complete on her own, but she still will whine or struggle away until I offer to help but she will master the task too. She wants to figure it out on her own. He wants assistance.
Today they are learning to eat with cutlery, tomorrow they will be heading off on their own secret missions.
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