Share how your child staked their claim for independence with Royal Caribbean - you could win a 4 day trip for your family on Independence of the Seas! NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

To help celebrate both Independence Day and the news that Royal Caribbean's cruise ship, "Independence of the Seas" will be sailing from Southampton again next year, the team there would love to hear your stories of toddlers and children staking claims of independence.

Royal Caribbean say "we know that once they've mastered a few key words, your little ones are keen to do things their way! From Great Cot Escapes to Fashion Showstoppers, we want to hear about these mini adventures and, in return, one lucky Mumsnetter will win a family holiday on board our luxurious and innovative ship, Independence of the Seas (the UK’s favourite cruise ship), in 2016." This is worth approx £2,200!

"Independence of the Seas will be sailing on a selection of voyages from Southampton to Europe and the Mediterranean and is packed with great on-board experiences to keep every member of your family entertained. From the FlowRider® surf simulator, a rock climbing wall and ice-skating rink to cantilevered whirlpools and complimentary Broadway-style entertainment – there’s something for everyone.

The beautiful ship also offers a complimentary Adventure Ocean® Youth Program, Royal Babies® and Royal Tots® programme, Teen lounge areas and disco and H20 Zone™ kids’ waterpark. Itineraries include an exciting selection of three to 14 nights sailings from Southampton- including three and four night mini breaks to Paris and Bruges, seven night cruise itineraries to France and Spain, and a number of 14 night breaks from Southampton to the Mediterranean with its wonderful beaches, historic cities and idyllic coastal towns".

So, please post on this thread the most memorable stake for independence claimed by one of your children - everyone who does will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnetter - picked at random - will win a family holiday on board Independence of the Seas in 2016. Subject to MN Insight T&Cs as well as the additional T&Cs from Royal Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean sails to over 260 amazing destinations around the world. From Barcelona to Barbados, Australia to Alaska – via their fleet of 23 ships - for further information about Royal Caribbean’s award-winning holiday experiences, please visit //www.royalcaribbean.co.uk, or visit them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

[threelittlepigs]

When my daughter was in reception class, she came home one day to proclaim that she "didn't want to and wouldn't wear purple (that's their school colour) to school ever again!" When I asked why, she said with a very indignant sigh "because everyone wears purple and I want to be different!" To this day she has always been a very independent little thing with her own 'unique' style which I always admire! ????

[mata777]

My toddler insist on choosing his own seat on the bus. I have to be in the "pushchair bit" with his baby sister and her pushchair. He will decide where he wants to sit and has conversations with random strangers sitting next to him.

[Helenwh2015]

My 4 yr old constantly explains to me the bedtime routine of cleaning my teeth, having a bath and go to the toilet before going to bed. I have to let him think he's the boss ????

[SirNiallDementia]

DS2 is 3 and a feisty, independant little bugger.

Every morning while i am sleeping he gets himself up, takes his PJs and nappy off, chooses an outfit from his wardrobe (always mismatching and too hot/ cold for the weather), puts the clothes on (usually back to front), brushes his teeth, has a wee, makes his bed (badly) and then comes into my room, wakes me up and says "I'm ready to go Mummy".

Sadly as he wakes up at 06.00 EVERY DAY Mummy is never ready to go!

[tracynchee]

funny i came across this today, My eldest daughter is 8 and we have just not long moved so having a massive clearout and sorting clothes well she was given clothes ect to put away the reply was ' im not ur slave, ' so i said its ur clothes so her next reply 'I will not be your slave U are my slave so u get it done ' well what can you say to that setting the stakes down thats just one of my independant little ladies in the house i have another two by god their hard work as each are independant till they want something lol x

[doctomum]

I shall always remember bacongate, as we can now affectionstely call it. In which my toddler demanded to eat raw bacon. Yes, only raw bacon would do. As I opened the fridge, it's uncooked meatiness glistened in his ragingly toddler hungry eyes and that would only do. After half an hour of trying to convince him, that I would have to actually cook the bacon for him to be able to eat it, he eventually stopped writhing around on the floor in a sweaty mess, screaming 'I want bacon, no mummy, no cook bacon, want bacon now, I'm hungry'. I did try to explain good poisoning and botulism but he had gone into the toddler zone of no return
(And, granted it was a bit above his head).
Eventually he settled for a cheese sandwich and a lolly.

[asharah]

Hubby and I were in the bathroom in a hotel in Rome, with our almost 2 year old sitting in the middle of the bed. "Listen to her- so cute chatting away to herself about lovely olibs (olives) and the cor seeum." I returned to the bedroom to discover she had been happily chatting to grandad at home in Cumbria, after calling him (last number redial) from my mobile for the last 10 minutes. More recently, now she's 6, she invented a startup fundraiser for a local theatre by selling friendship bracelets and transfers at their performances. When asked why by a punter, she responded 'I'm learning good business skills and this theatre creates happy dreams'.

[Eve]

I know most of this is about toddlers, but my DS 15 has a part time job now & insisted he paid the bill in Costa recently for both of us.

[catwoooo]

My DS has always been independent. He started commando crawling the week he turned 5 months - he saw a toy he wanted and just went for it! He turns 2 this week and insists on doing everything himself. He's lived in wellies for months (through a heat wave!) because they're the shoes he can put on himself and I'm not allowed to help. As you'd expect, he has spectacular tantrums when things don't go his way. This week alone he's had a tantrum in the supermarket because I said he couldn't buy a bottle of wine, a tantrum at the doctors because I wouldn't let him ride on a lady's mobility scooter (she was using it at the time), and an EPIC 15 minute screaming tantrum on the bus because it turned left. He wanted to turn right.

Maybe I should have bought that wine.

[VikingLady]

DD stopped asking me for biscuits at groups when she could walk. She preferred helping herself. The most notable occasion was when she moved small furniture so she could climb from a small chair onto a table then a cupboard onto a bookcase to reach the Jaffa Cakes on top. Aged 20m

I let her keep them

[Hopezibah]

My little girl insists on doing up the clip on her booster seat (highchair) - I cringe with fear of trapped fingers pinched in the clip as she shouts 'I do it - I do it' but reluctantly let her.

She's been doing that for about a year now and still no trapped fingers so perhaps I should have trusted her more all along!

[Clairebearbates]

My 18 month old darling son is very independent for his age and also very strong minded. The other day I asked him for a kiss, he replied with his new favorite word "no" so I asked him again and tried pulling a sad face, again I was met with "no" the 3rd time of asking clearly pushed him too far to which he screamed at me "NOOOOOOOO!" I certainly learnt my lesson!

[throwingpebbles]

When my boy went for his first taster session at infant school he clung to my leg nervously as we waited in reception, not speaking to a soul. Then when they opened to doors to the classroom up it was like he grew a foot taller in that second and he just strode in confidently without a backwards glance and chatted away to children and teacher he had never met before.

And I told him he would go to after school club a couple of days a week, but not for the first few weeks as I wanted to give him a chance to settle in..."no mummy I want to go to after school club from the beginning!" (He knows what it is as they have an after school club at his nursery)

[throwingpebbles]

eve that's a really lovely story

[HannahLI]

Learning to bike, my son literally just decided he was going to ride a bike, got on it and headed down the road. To see a 4 year old pedalling on a bike is really a sight particularly because he is so small for his age.

[ImNotChangingMyUsernameAgain]

When my twins were 2, I put them down in their cots for their afternoon nap, only to have them reappear 20 minutes later having escaped their cots, chanting: "we're not tired and we want to go to softplay"!

Needless to say, the sides of their cots came off that day and we did go to softplay.

[Clakey87]

Today my 3 year old daughter declared she was no longer a sister to her 1 year old brother as she was fed up of it. She is now apparently JUST Allegra!

[Stephbarx]

Last year aged 2 my daughter had a major meltdown, (and I mean major, lasted nearly 20mins) because I wiped a "bogey" of her nose and she can pick her own bogeys... She was quick to be ever so distraught and needed loads of reassuring that in future I would let her pick/wipe her own bogeys... Ever so disgusting but this was just the start of a very independent young girl who is quickly making mummy redundant, apart from those kisses and cuddles which she always reminds me she can't give herself and mummies are the best

[reenu]

My little girl was 2 year old when she unlocked the phone herself and called her dad on viber all by herself..I was really surprised how she did it!

[Jux]

DD was 5, and we were discussing where we would go camping. We usually went to N Devon or S Wales, and dd really wanted to go to Wales, but dh and I wanted a change. As he and I warmed to the idea of Scotland, dd piped up "but Daddy, what would we actually achieve by camping in Scotland?"

We went to Wales.

[Mummytoboyz7]

Our eldest son 'helped' clean daddies shoes with back shoe polish. The trouble is the shoes were his new mustard CAT boots! It must run in the family as I was told my sister and I did the same thing with brown polish on my uncles white squash shoes

[Shelen1977]

"But I want it!'" "Mammy don't wind me up!" "I csaaannnnntttttt do it. Wahhhhhh. Oh wait yes I can! Horray." "I'm too tired to go to sleep. My legs ache when I'm in bed. My eyes hurt in bed but I'm not tired." When does it end?

[ALANABEWICK]

When we get up on a morning the first thing my daugher does is feed the cat, she has been doing this since she was 3!!

[MummyPalmer]

No mummy there my undies!!! Lilly aged 2

[sharond101]

My DS who is 3 told me the other day that he would fasten his shoe "all by myself because when you are a baby and I am a big Mummy you wont be able to do it for me!" He also got frustrated at the park the other day and exclaimed "It's not fair, I don't have a baby in my tummy so can't pee outside!"