Doing it on your own is smart until it’s stupid.

My middle kid Theo’s catchphrase of late is “I can do it myself.”

I LOVE this boy… his strong will, his humor, his sensitivity.

He is a joy. He spreads light wherever he goes.

He talks to strangers — we probably need to work on that? — and he brightens their day.

There was Charles at Sam’s Club on Saturday.

George at the grocery store.

The mother-daughter team working the counter at Buck’N Good Donuts. (Yes, that is the real name.)

My boy makes my heart hurt with love and pride.

Meanwhile, his particular strain of stubbornness drives me…

CRAZY.

Theo’s tenacity will serve him well later in life, but right now, it adds friction and struggle to simple, everyday things like finishing his dinner or picking a pair of socks.

“I can do it myself” is admirable right up to the point where it is short-sighted and ineffective.

I’m talking about us adults now, not my four-year-old.

You see, we know better!

We can figure out many things on our own. We don’t need help pouring grape juice.