Who doesn’t love popping bubble wrap!?

At first, I thought the answer to that (supposedly rhetorical) question was going to be “my daughter.” The other day, I busted out the bubble wrap with the hope of exposing my toddler to the satisfying joy of squeezing and popping everyone’s favorite plastic packaging.

But it was hard work. She wasn’t quite strong enough to pop the bubbles by herself. We tried stomping on them (gross motor skill!), jumping on them, squeezing them between her thumb and forefinger (fine motor skill!), pressing on them with the heel of her hand, and even poking them with her elbow. Nothing worked. Finally, I put some pressure on the bubbles and then let her give them a final squeeze.  In that way, she managed to pop a few.

I thought she’d be disappointed with my “fun” idea, but the next day she pulled out the bubble wrap and said, “Mommy, show me!” Which loosely translates to, “Can you show me how this works? Because I can’t do it by myself and I’ve yet to learn how to properly ask for help.”

To which I answer, “Gladly.”