My daughter tied her shoes by herself for the first time this weekend. And once again, I have the conflicting feelings of pride and an inescapable feeling of loss. That seems strong, but every new thing she learns is one more thing she doesn’t need me for anymore. She’s growing up too fast. There will be new things I suppose. One day she’ll come home and ask me to help her with her calculus homework. Lately we’ve been working on teaching her how to snap her fingers, something she wasn’t capable of a few years ago. I’m teaching her how to read. We made a birdhouse together on Sunday. But shoelaces are gone, never to return.