Lessons from My Baby

I've been watching Sarah intently. Actually I would say I've been more than just watching her. I've been kind of studying her in my weird analytical/ECE-minded/dorky mom way. I'm amazed by her every day but when I really stop to think about it, being a baby must be very challenging with everything you do being for the first time.

Sarah is now just over 21 months old, she'll be two in March. She is running and jumping and learning new words and tiny sentences; she is trying to adjust to mommy taking her "bubby" away for her daytime naps; she is figuring out "potty" things; she is rambunctious; she tries hard to do big girl things in her awkward little girl way and then gets spitey when things don't go her way. Yes, being a baby means tough times indeed.

Often, if Sarah has a bad day, I say to her in a joking way, "Yes mommy knows life is tough for babies". But, just imagine needing to learn how to speak and form words again or falling down quite often because you're still figuring out how to be agile on your feet. Imagine the scary world of not knowing exactly what's going on and needing to follow those "big people" (better known as parents, grandparents, etc.) and trusting them with your very life every single second not realizing that they don't always know what they're doing either.

And then imagine, through all the frustration of learning about life, doing all of that with the absolute joy and wonder of a toddler! What if we ran with enthusiasm into the arms of someone we love? What if we actually didn't WALK anywhere but skipped with delight no matter how many times we fell down and skinned our knee? What if we danced and sang as loud as we could, even if we didn't know the words, but simply because we loved the melody? What if we shouted "Wow" and clapped our hands because we helped with the laundry or was allowed to splash in the dishwater? What if? Absolute joy and wonder....hmmm? Do we adults ever really allow ourselves to experience absolute joy and wonder? I'm not sure we'd even know where to start.

Maybe, especially at this time of year, it would be good for us to take a life lesson from a baby. No matter what your day brings, through all of the trials of trying to be "normal", why don't we just stop being so miserable and serious. Even when the weather is bad (I'm FAMOUS for that complaint), even when our house is a mess (Oops, famous for that one too!), or even when we just got yelled at by our spouse or best friend or boss (cause Ouch! that hurts, but don't babies get told "NO!" all the time?).

So how about putting some spring in our steps (I'm picturing Phoebe from "Friends" running the park...tho' I'm not sure I'd go to THAT extreme. haha!), putting a song in our hearts, looking at the world through the eyes of a child, and having a Happy Christmas season?! What say you to that?!