Amazing Creatures

Meet the toddler. I believe the toddler to me the most amazing creature on Earth. It's no secret that I'm totally smitten with my children and I won't lie, I love being a momma to these little men. Each age has it's ups and downs but for the sake of this post, I'd like to discuss the toddler.

Fearless, devoted, loving, curious, determined.  These are some of the words for toddlers. Mine toddler happens to be the 16 month walking since 11.5 months variety. If they were full sized, they could easily rule to world. Thankfully for their mothers they are pint sized which keeps them from being in fatal danger often.  My toddler is my shadow. He was to do everything the big people around him are doing. Eating at the table, sitting in a chair, driving a car, playing with Legos. Whatever we are doing, he MUST try it. Otherwise he will sing the song of his people. Trust me....you don't want that.

My toddler since birth has a special look that's just for me. It melts me, it keeps him alive. Sears into my soul and changes whatever I was going to do into serving his whim.  Now fast forward to the 16 month version. He still has that look, but he's bigger and even more convincing.

He's amazing. Yes, he's my toddler but yesterday I took a lot of time to really watch and be with him whilst his brothers were outside and away from us.  He can do almost everything I can do, he just lacks size.  But he doesn't let that stop him. Yesterday he figured out how to reach the kitchen cabinets...it's easy, you just pull out drawers, climb up and keep using drawers to climb up higher and higher until you can reach what you were after. He just wants to see what's going on. His thirst for the new, exciting world of the big people is never quenched. Ever.

Now, I've learned a few things. This isn't my first toddler. 8 years ago I had my first toddler and I was a nervous first time mom and on my own as my husband was overseas in Iraq.  I probably micromanaged him and keep him from exploring for the sake of safety not full realizing that he was much more capable than I knew.  I'm a first born so maybe this is just their lot.  My toddler now is a third born. I taught him to navigate the stairs instead of baby gates when we arrived here in England. There are some boundaries but instead of saying "no" I redirect him or give him a positive task to accomplish. Like when he starts pulling the soil out of my pots I show him instead how to pat in down into the pots.  Some things are tricky like when I'm pulling weeds and he starts randomly pulling at plants.  He doesn't know which plant is desirable and which isn't, he's just trying to be a big person and help.

Now my deep thoughts on this. What happens to the toddler that he stops wanting to learn, help and be part of community. Do we do this somehow unintentionally? What if toddlers never gave up this attitude but just refined it a little as they grew into full sized beings?  The hunger for learning, thirst for creativity and drive to be part of something bigger. Everything is amazing to them, they laugh and giggle as the smallest thing. Nothing boring.  If this could be carried through to adulthood and beyond I believe the world would be changed by these amazing little creatures grown up to remind us that everyday, everywhere the world is filled with wonder.