Tenacious Toddler

Have you ever had the opportunity to sit and watch a toddler learning to coordinate their arms and legs?

Recently I had just such a delight. Sitting on the floor with seven month old grandson Crew, we watched in awe as he tried over and over again to direct his arms and legs to get him where he wanted to go.

Crew knew he wanted to crawl. However, as hard as he tried, arms and knees just would not move as he hoped and a face plant ensued. 

Learning to crawl is hard work! 

That was three weeks ago. This week arms and legs are moving at his command! He has accomplished the art of crawling! Crew is on the move!

It was fascinating to watch Crew try over and over again. When a toy was out of reach, you could see him pondering a way to reach the toy. Then wiggle and squirm until the toy was in his hand. Success. And a smile.

Watching Crew, reminds me how wondrous it is - that deep within our beings there exists this innate drive to move, to crawl, to stand upright, to walk, to reach out, to taste, to chew, to learn, to risk bumps and bruises to explore the wonder of Creation.

Watching Crew, also reminded me of a friend who said, after a stroke caused him to learn to walk again, “I have no memory of when I learned to walk the first time. This time I am aware and will remember how hard it is to learn to walk.” 

Back to Crew. 

The new parents pour out their love on this sweet child. For like we sing in a favourite carol their “hopes and dreams of all the years” are set in Crew this day.

Newborns and toddlers hold centre stage… as they should. They can make old people fumble and new parents jump at every sound as they are so very fragile and dependent on others for life itself. 

Yet they are equipped with profoundly powerful systems to ensure their survival - big eyes, soft skin, chubby cheeks, life giving laughter - all the wonders that make our hearts melt and compel parents to care for them despite sleepless nights, explosive diapers and spit up over every shoulder. 

Not only is it a delight to watch Crew grow and stretch, it is a wonder to watch his parents being transformed by this new bundle of ‘love.’ Confident mature parents trying to do the right thing, trying to understand their child’s needs when the only communication is a laugh or a cry. 

Parents who gaze in wonder at this squirming bundle of humanity, who disrupts their sleep, and any semblance of an ordered life of schedules. Parents who sit in wonder and awe at the daily changes. They're smitten by him. They simply love him.

In their love for this squirming bundle of humanity - real, intense and enduring - Crew knows a mystical Love that surpasses all understanding. 

Perhaps we can learn from Crew. On this new year, as we continue to grow and learn, could we, like Crew, risk a face plant (metaphorically) and approach each challenge with the understanding that most barriers we encounter can be overcome, every division can be bridged? What appears impossible is possible. Especially with a mystical Love that surpasses all understanding. 

May it be so. Happy New Year!