Independence--a blessing or a curse?

All of my kids are very independent. Some days it's a good thing, but there are days it's a curse. I love that most of the time Shalyn's Independence is a good thing. She is usually really good about getting up in the morning, getting herself ready for school, and getting her chores done. I don't have to micro-manage her, or stand there like a drill Sargent telling her what to do next. She knows what she needs to get done, and she does it.

Zane has been going through a stage where he wants to do everything by himself. One of his favorite phrases is, "I do it self." He wants to be so independent that if I dare help him he will go and un-do what I've done and start the task completely over. Today he wanted some apple juice. He got a cup then he got the apple juice out of the refrigerator. He placed the cup on the floor and started pouring the juice. He poured and poured and poured until there was no more juice in the pitcher and the glass had overflowed onto the floor. There was a huge sticky puddle of apple juice on the kitchen floor. He knew he had made a mess so on his own, he went and got a towel and started cleaning up his mess.

So is their independence a blessing or a curse? I guess it depends upon which kid and what day it is.