I read this quote once and never forgot it as I felt it really hit home with how I should interact with my children.  I am VERY passionate about teaching them to be independent and self-reliant little people.  I think that kids are capable of a LOT more than we realize.  I’ve been really striving lately to push my children to do things for themselves rather than relying on me to do it all for them.  My daughter hates this.  She prefers that I do it all for her so I tease her that I can’t come to her apartment when she’s in college to help her pour a bowl of cereal or brush her hair.  This seems to help (and it’s my persistent plug for college- mwa-ha-ha) but it’s a constant battle.  Now I just need to teach this concept to Daddy whose only flaw is that he’s a big marshmallow and loves to do things for the kids even when they are capable of doing it themselves.