Washcloth

Today as we were finishing up dinner, Jed squirmed out of his chair (he has figured out how to use his booster seat buckles and now we spend hours undoing and redoing them... fortunately his fingers aren't quite strong enough to get all the way out by himself.) We let him out but didn't put the cup of milk far enough back on the counter and he grabbed it as he dodged his daddy's reaching hands. "Oh, Jed...." Michael moaned as Jed splashed milk all over the back of the chair and floor.

Jed looked up with a serious expression. "Uh, oh! Oh, oh!" He ran over to the kitchen sink and started tugging. He brushed with death as the ginormous pile of dishes teetered, and then he fell back with his prize: a washcloth. He trotted over to the chair, sopped up all the milk with his washcloth, and then ran back to the counter and threw the washcloth up over his head onto the edge of he sink. He turned back with an air of victory and a grin that said, "See, Dad, I've got it all taken care of. I AM a little man!" and returned to playing with his buckles.

What a kid! How does he know how to do that???!!! But he's got his eye on Mom and he knows just how to get things done. Smartypants. Is there any way we can make this habit last through his teens? Because having a kid who cleans up after himself is fantastic.