The neat freak in me is completely opposed to letting my kids make a mess, but I know it’s important for Brayden to learn to feed himself, so I’ve been handing him a spoon and letting him do what he will. He’s actually not too bad about getting the food into his mouth, and he’s just so darn proud of himself when he can do it all on his own. For me, it’s painful but strangely liberating to sit back and watch him learn. (This didn’t happen with His Highness Prince Justin, who even now is totally content to have someone else do the work for him.) At age eight months, Brayden can even drink from a cup independently, which amazes us because Justin absolutely refused to hold his own cup until he was about 14 months old. To each his own, I guess.