Little Heroes - Meet My Little Legends

"Take this." I said, pressing the pull-up into her little hands and ushering her around the corner before I went out of her line of sight. I'm introducing an idea. She throws away diapers and washes herself in the tub as instructed. She even goes to the toilet part time.    
 
Now she has a way to stay clean that she can dress herself in. And she's a lady who needs to learn to dress out of sight eventually, all the time. I don't want shame to be the lesson. What to do?    
   
"Mommy?" She asked the partial question, probably wondering what I was thinking.    
   
"Pretend you are a superhero!" I encourage her. "You are hiding to change like they do. You'll be ready for anything!"  
   
The truth is, she doesn't have to pretend. She is a little heroine already. So sweet. There are so many adorable stories to share and I haven't even begun.    
   
Not only that, there are so many stories of heroism I have to share with you about her other little siblings. Children can be a source of courage. I hope this reminds them one day why I think they are so awesome. They need a time-capsule of stories because one day they will have to dig deep for bravery, too. It's in them. I am their witness and if you plan to follow along; now you are, too.  
 
Rescuing Big Sister  
 
"I need toilet paper!" called an adolescent from the far end of the house.  
 
I looked at the boy who had been pounding his fists and hollering in futility. A tiny man, he was barely taller than the freezer door he was impatiently yelling at. He looks at me for the help for getting ice cream. A treat I suppose he was going to get from his sitter, who had just beelined it to the toilet. He hadn't been beaten by another toddler, as I my ever paranoid mind had conjured, when I came out to check on the unresolving racket.
 
All the same I was embarrassed to see he was alone, as I had feared.  
 
Both of us were fully concerned and committed to helping the toilet bound prisoner. My mission clear, I bolted away from the kitchen for toilet paper. Returning from the storage area of my master bedroom's bathroom, I saw he was already down by the little bathroom's door. Hearing my door open, he turns to face me and starts closing the distance. Partway down the hall he reaches me. Throwing his little arms up it's clear he wants to complete this mission.  
 
I give him the toilet paper and he offers it to her grateful hand protruding out of the narrow open gap.  
 
I thanked the little one year old. He has so many virtues. Helpfulness is one, calmness is another. It outweighs the inevitable follies residing in the heart of every unique toddler. He is adored by all; already a tiny knight in shining armor.