Hello Reader,
This week I had the opportunity of working from home, which translates to more one on one time with my little dude. I decided to forego the playpen and instead, give him free rein of the living room. Before I move on, allow me to add some background regarding my son.
In the ten months since he was born, I have come to the realization that he operates under the notion that he can lay claim over every object simply by touch. His truly prized possessions have the privilege of coming into contact with his mouth (right now, all items seem to have the title of “prized possession”). He demonstrates his displeasure (in perhaps not the most subtle manner) when we remove said items from his tight grip (these items include cell phones, tv remotes and basically any other item that is not actually a toy of his).
Based on this heightened state of curiosity, you can see that with ample real estate, I envisioned him wandering throughout, touching all objects and taking them as his own. I was prepared, fully equipped with “no’s” and “not that bud”. Initially, these expectations were realized. The look of excitement on his face as I placed him on the floor with no play pen in sight frightened me a bit.
However an interesting thing occurred by midday. He had grabbed his favorite toy (yes, an actual toy of his), crawled over to my desk and sat next to my chair. I looked down at him, he saw me, gave me a smile, and started talking to me in his native tongue of baby talk. I laughed and responded and we spent the next hour, side by side, I working and he, playing with his toy and occasionally touching my printer (one can only have so much willpower). When it was time to prepare his bottle I walked over to the kitchen and he followed me, stood up, and nudged himself in between my legs until he was able to put his feet on top of my own. I looked down and again, was greeted with a smile and some comments in baby talk.
After his nap, it was a similar chain of events, the initial excitement of allowing him free rein eventually leading to a side by side discussion with dad. This ended up being our routine throughout the week. I’d occasionally grab him and take him back to the living room and we’d play and laugh but within minutes of returning to my desk to work, I’d find him crawling over, toy in hand, ready to continue our deep discussion.
It’s moments like these that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I realize that eventually this tangible desire to be by my side will evolve to something different. It’s a part of life as he matures and gains more independence. My hope and prayer is that as he gets older and isn’t following my every step, he still desires to spend time with his old man, side by side, laughing and talking (coherent discussions, sans baby talk).
–AD
