On the one hand, it’s exciting to watch their brains click with recognition and understanding, and to try to translate that into precision fine motor skills and independence. On the other hand, it’s incredibly frustrating for them and for me. Not to mention obscenely messy. Ah, toddlers and utensils.
It’s a long process, of course. They first figured out how to get a fork into their mouth a few months ago. But it has been a lot of me putting something on the fork and then handing it too them. And, in truth, most of the time I still just let them eat with their hands and don’t bother with the utensils at all. But I know it’s a good skill that we need to work on, so I’ve been trying to do it more often.
Cognitively, they’re really getting it. They definitely know what the utensil is for, and they seem to get that it needs to be dipped into something, or you need to in some way get the food onto it. It’s the execution… oh my, the execution. 
Daniel in particular is getting really into it. He really wants to feed himself with the fork or spoon as much as possible. But it’s not so easy actually getting the darn food onto it, and he doesn’t realize that the food doesn’t stay on when he shakes the spoon. He dips and dips that spoon, but the angle is bad and he only gets the faintest hint of the applesauce. I try to help, but at least 50% of the time, that just makes him mad. I know, it’s quintissential toddler behavior with the burgeoning independince. I know, I ain’t seen nothin’ yet. But oh man…. here we go.
And Rebecca, well, she’s a bit neater and a bit less insistent. And sometimes she just decides to go straight to the source…
LOL! That Rebecca – she’s so smart
I hear you…Logan doesn’t yet get that if he turns the spoon up-side-down that all the good stuff is going to slip off. But man, the determination! So exciting to see.
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