Little Man decided he is brave enough to walk into the lake the other day. We had gone for a short trail ride to the big beach and back home, and we stopped at the little beach to give him a chance to run and explore.

Oh, did he have fun exploring the area.

As soon as I unbuckled his car seat, Little Man was off and running. He avoided the water, at first, and was figuring out how to walk on the sand. All of the dog prints had him confused for a bit, but he loved inspecting as many of them as he could. He ran back and forth for a bit, venturing ever closer to the water; peeking back at me to see what I was going to do and to make sure I was watching him. Every once in a while, he would stop, unsure of how to walk around or over a part of the sand, and reach his hand out, looking to me. I would walk over, hold his hand, and he would confidently take a few steps, before dropping my hand. He needed me there with him, to show him that I was supporting him in his adventures.

As he slowly made his way closer and closer to the water, I stood back, waiting to see what he would do. He eventually made it to the water’s edge, and looked back at me, uncertain of what the nest steps were. I quietly walked over, took his hand, and put my two feet in the water. He looked at me in amazement, and tentatively dipped his toe into the water, next to mine. I smiled at him and shuffled my feet, stirring up the sand and splashing a bit.

Little Man let go of my hand, and cautiously took two steps into the lake.

He kept taking little baby steps, pausing to reach back for my hand when he was unsure due to a wave, or when he walked a little deeper into the lake. After a while, he decided he wanted to sit down in the water, and started to squat, but realized he did not like the feel of his shorts getting all wet, so we walked back onto the beach, and off came his shorts. He slyly grinned up at me and ran back into the water. Without the shorts, he could walk farther and not get his clothes wet; such a smarty pants!

As I watched my little guy get his confidence and enjoy the water, splashing his feet and shrieking in joy, I knew that I needed to soak it all in. One day, he won’t want to hold Mummy’s hand. One day he won’t look back at me as he take his first unknowing steps into a new adventure or chapter in life. I am so blessed to be able to stay at home with him and experience these firsts, and to be able to be there, cheering him on. While I hate that one day he will not need me, I know that for now, I am here.

And he knows, that when he reaches out his hand, I will hold it, and we will take those steps together.