This is part of the essence of motherhood, watching your kid grown into her own person and not being able to do anything about it.

Otherwise children would be nothing more than pets.
(Heather Armstrong, Dooce - 11/15/05)

Becky is finally feeling confident enough around the gerbil to name him. (It's Austin, in case you're wondering.) PJ has done a great job of gentling the gerbil, getting Austin used to being picked up and held.