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When Kaavia James falls down, she's not afraid to get back up. In a video shared by Gabrielle Union on Friday, the 2-year-old eagerly climbed the steps to a two-story shingled playhouse featuring a window with a slide exit. "Watch me!" Kaavia shouted to her playground fan club (aka her mom and other family members). Seconds later, Kaavia landed face first on the grass. "You didn't stick the landing, huh?" Gabrielle asked as the toddler didn't hesitate to pick herself back up and try again.
Determined, Kaavia headed back up the steps to the slide. Having her mom nearby to catch her when she came down a second time definitely put Kaavia in even higher spirits, and on her fourth attempt, she was more than ready to give the slide her all. "Let's go!" the 2-year-old shouted before sliding down and sticking the landing on the patch of grass below. Gabrielle and the crew immediately broke into celebratory shouts as Kaavia giggled victoriously and scurried back to the ladder for another go.
"She never gives up. She never gets too discouraged. She just picks herself up time and time again."
"I constantly learn life lessons from @kaaviajames," Gabrielle captioned the post. "She insists on mastering skills on her own terms. She never gives up. She never gets too discouraged. She just picks herself up time and time again, no matter how many times she falls on her face. She just gets back up, dusts herself off and keeps it pushing. She also seems to find joy in the missteps, like she knows the lows are temporary and necessary for growth."
For kids and adults, Kaavia's determination to master a new skill and not be discouraged by a few obstacles in her way is an important lesson on resilience that many of us could learn from. "Happy Friday Folks! May we all be kinder to ourselves and others as we find our way and figure out this thing called life," Gabrielle wrote. "PS Cheers to everyone [who's] ever lost the battle of pants with their toddler. Or as an adult. I see you."
Watch Kaavia's attempts at mastering the slide above, and read more about other activities toddlers can do to improve their motor skills [4] at home.