While out to dinner last week, I noticed a young couple at a nearby table. They had a young daughter. I would guess she was a little over two years old. At one point the father tried to spoon-feed the child. As he did this his young daughter quickly held up her hand and turned her head away from her father...clearly signaling she didn't want the food he was offering. 

As the father and the spoon retreated his daughter had a half-smile on her face. With bright eyes, she looked at both her parents, from one to the other, then back. No words. Not defiant. Just confident. Her expression said it all.

This happened in no more than a few seconds...and, for some reason, I thought to myself, "Don't children have a high opinion of themselves!" Even as young as 2 years old, don't children have a high opinion of themselves! 

Tots, possessing that sort of communication ability and self-confidence...what a marvelous gift to have at such a young age.

Then, as Baumeister¹ said: "Life is a tempering experience."

Footnote:

1. 'WILLPOWER', Roy F. Baumeister & John Tierney, (2011)