Five Things my Son’s First Birthday Taught me About Life

On Sunday my son turned a year old. Time has flown by incredibly quickly, as I’m sure anyone with kids will attest to.

As I got to thinking about this huge milestone in his life, I realized that I have learned a few things from this. I’d like to share them with you here.

Keep Going

Due to having reflux, my son didn’t roll over or even crawl until recently. But once he started crawling, it was game over. Now he’s constantly moving, even if you’re holding him in your lap he’s always moving around.

He keeps going until he gets what he wants, or where he wants to go. There’s no obstacle that holds him back I’ve learned. If you stand in his way, he’s going around you. If there’s a small toy in front of him, he goes over it. And if it’s a dog in his way, well then he’s still small enough to crawl underneath the dog. No matter what, he’s going to keep moving forward, until he decides he’s good now.

Know When to Ask for Help

If there’s one thing that babies and kids in general are very good at, it’s asking for help. He asks in the form of crying, or doing this little move that he does where he stretches his legs out straight in front of him, balls his hands into a fist, and pumps his arms downward while grunting. If you move elsewhere, he will turn so he’s facing you and repeat this until he gets your attention.

Asking for help is something we grown ups have gotten bad at. I’m not sure where we learned it, but somewhere along the way we learned to stop asking so many questions. Maybe we don’t want to be ridiculed, or thought ill of. We don’t want to be “that guy” that asks all the “dumb” questions, nor do we want to be viewed as the incompetent that doesn’t get anything.

And yet, kids will ask with all the innocence in the world. My 7 year old daughter still has this gift, and even though it can be frustrating sometimes, I try to remind myself not to extinguish the flame of curiosity in her.

It’s OK to Nap

Babies have napping down to a science. Sometimes they fight it, but for the most part, when they are tired they just pass out. How liberating this must be!

Imagine sitting at your desk in the middle of the afternoon, and just leaning back and napping. I’d hazard a guess that we’d probably get fired fairly quickly from our jobs if we started doing this (though some companies are starting to encourage afternoon naps — look it up!)

If you are in a position where you can take a nap (maybe on a weekend), then go ahead and take one. “But I have so much to do!” Yes, it’s true, most of us have a to-do list (or “honey do” list) a mile long. Have no fear, however, that list will still be there when you get up from your nap. And even if you do accomplish something on your list, more things will be added to it and you’ll be right back where you were; staring at a mountain of tasks, and still tired.

So go ahead, take that little siesta, and don’t feel guilty for it.

Get Over It

Babies don’t tend to hold grudges. If you take a toy away from them, sure they will cry. But a moment later, they will shift their attention to something else and move on.

Granted, we can probably chalk this one up to their brains that are still developing, short attention spans, or any number of scientifically accurate things. But imagine if we were able to let go of things as quickly — like that person who cut you off this morning, or that customer service rep who was just a little to curt with you on the phone. Whatever it may be, just let it go! Life is way to short to hold on to everything.

Enjoy the Little Things

Of course we had to get a small round cake for my son, something that he could dig into and enjoy. As you can tell by the pictures, he had no problem doing this.

Almost everything is brand new to babies — the experiences, the toys, you name it. And they greet each of these things as though they were the best thing in the world.

We grown ups have so many concepts and ideas about things that we often don’t even see the things themselves, we only see what we “already know” about these things. Because of that, we miss out on a lot.

When is the last time you watched the leaves on a tree dance with the wind? Or how about watching a swarm of ants move across the sidewalk? These are things we see every day, and yet pay no attention to. Sure, in the grand scheme of things, these are fairly “meaningless” things. But each time we pay no attention to them, we lose out on a little something.

Go ahead and pause every now and then. Close your eyes and turn your face toward the sun. Feel the warm rays meet your skin, see the light as it passes through your eye lids. Feel the breeze blow across your face. And smile! For goodness sake don’t forget to smile!

Aaron Graves

Hi, I’m Aaron Graves — Voluntaryist, Entrepreneur, Writer, Hobbyist Programmer, and PhDude. Phew, that’s a lot to get out in one sentence.

I started Change2Change.me. It’s all about helping people realize their full potential.

You can follow me on Twitter or connect with me on LinkedIn.

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