"I Det"...

... or, "I do it," for those who don't speak my daughter's language. 
These three words can strike fear in the heart of any within hearing distance... or at least those involved with said toddler. When those three words are spoken, I know 3 things: 

1. My daughter has had a sudden stroke of independence, 
2. A task that normally takes 30 seconds will now take 7 minutes.
3. Any form of "help" (even the smallest gesture) will result in my daughter protesting, undoing what I did, and doing it herself from the beginning- increasing a 7 minute process to 15 minutes. Crying can commonly accompany this process.

I then have 4 choices:

1. Choose my battle- If we have all the time in the world, I can indulge my daughter in her desire to learn to be independent.
2. Bribe/Reward- If we are short on time, this will sometimes speed up the process.
3. Rasslin' Time- If option 1 & 2 are not working or not an option, it can get ugly. She is surprisingly strong and determined for such a little thing.
4. Curl up in the fetal position until the moment has passed- If options 1,2, 3 have failed, this is the only choice left. I have not yet made it to this level, but I have been close.

I suppose history has proved that the road to independence is never easy. Especially, when you have tyrant that insists on buckling your car seat or helping you with your jacket.