Hep Hep

"If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them. " -Dalai Lama

Anyone who has ever spent any amount of time with a toddler understands the joke of helping.  Toddlers absolutely adore to help, it is one of their main motivations in life, alongside mess-making and gaining independence. 

But 'help' from a toddler is like shade from an airplane overhead: it ain't much and it passes quickly.  This is due to short attention spans and a lack of shared goals, i.e., I would like a clean play area, Maeve would not, so she is unmotivated to pick up more than a few blocks, etc.

Maeve also requests help (or hep, as she says), but it's hard to tell what she wants, exactly.  She will grab my hand, muttering hep hep, and drag me to her bedroom.  I'll say, What can I help you with, honey?  And she'll run away giggling, or look at me with concern and stamp her feet.  I'm sure she needs my help with something, but I am still stumped as to what.  

Maybe she just wants me to be more hip, and thinks her room might be a good influence on my level of cool.

Well, she was sick around midnight last night, so today will be my turn to help, and I hope that I can.  I hate the helpless feeling a sick kid gives.  But I will hep the best I can.

Hep with changing the sheets