Life lessons from a 9 month old
Warning: Lots of cute baby pictures inside!
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Hello.
I wasn’t exactly planning to become a mom. When my husband and I first met, I was honestly on the fence about the whole parenthood thing. However, a few months later when the pregnancy test unexpectedly turned positive, I was strangely calm.
Whenever I’d thought about being a mom in the past (and more frequently so after my Dad died), I imagined all of the things I’d want to teach my kiddo. Things that people I loved taught me. Like when to flip a pancake (when it gets bubbly all over), or how to play and win at Monopoly.
I envisioned teaching them how to play piano, unsnag a fishing line, not make mountains out of molehills, and most importantly, how to be kind.
Intuitively, I hoped becoming a mom would also be a chance for me to remember how to play, how to re-see the world through eyes of delight and wonder, reconnect with my inner child, and frankly, heal some childhood wounds by becoming the mother I wish I’d had.
Here are some early lessons and field notes from the journey so far.
Be unapologetic about your needs.
Babies cry, a lot. As Noah’s grown, he’s gotten infinitely good at communicating his needs through a range of wordless sounds. It’s made me realize how often I censure my own needs because I’m afraid they won’t be met.
Try/taste everything.
Rocks, grass, paper, yes, even beets. I’m pretty picky about the food I like but I’ve been working on expanding my palate- not just with food but music, activities, books, etc. Embracing the question, “why not?” is helping me see the world through limitless possibilities.
Go after what’s off-limits.
Noah knows what he’s not supposed to do and is drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Cords? More, please! Mom’s computer? Always. While it’s my job to keep him safe, part of me admires his willingness to test boundaries and push against his limitations. It’s how we learn. Inhabiting a sense of curiosity for what’s out-of-bounds might just be the key to greater creativity.
Babble, a lot.
Noah’s vocabulary of nonsensical noises is huge. He’s not afraid to speak up even if he’s not understood. He chatters, grunts, sings and babbles constantly. As an adult, I often believe there’s no point in speaking up unless I’m heard but I’m starting to trust that using my voice is the point.
Everything is play.
I read this on one of those parent blogs talking about why kids don’t actually need more toys. Honestly, it came as a relief and helped me realize the same applies to my life, too. Paying the bills? Laundry? How can I approach the mundane with a sense of amusement and light-heartedness?
Trust your innate ability to grow into who you’re meant to be.
This is the biggest takeaway for me so far. Watching Noah develop and reach milestones has been such a lesson in ease and trust. I haven’t taught him how to crawl or lectured him on the importance of practicing the early stages of speech.
Become a paid member for $5 a month to get lots of extra goodies and my deepest gratitude.
He’s learned how to do it on his own by following an innate blueprint for becoming human. Growth doesn’t have to be forced or coerced. It’s not always easy (he falls down a lot), but I do believe we can lean into the inevitability of our life’s unfolding.
It’s okay to be a copycat.
Learning something for the first time? Mimic others until you get it right. RuPaul echoes this sentiment in his MasterClass. It’s okay to look to your mentors and people you admire for reference points. Even if you do exactly what someone else has already done, it will be unique because no one like you has done it before.
Practice, practice, practice.
There are stages to growth and they’re not linear. When you’re learning something new, it’s okay to revert to the previous stage as you grow comfortable with the new skill or lesson. Once Noah learns to walk, he won’t automatically stop crawling. He’ll alternate between the two. Just because you don’t master something in one day (or week, or month, or year) doesn’t mean it’s time to give up.
Toys are fun but having someone to play with is better.
Honestly, Noah ignores most of his toys. He much prefers climbing on me or playing with whatever’s holding my attention. More than a diversion, he wants connection. This has helped me realize just how hard-wired we are as humans for interconnectedness. So many of us (myself included) try to fill that need through material things or external accomplishments when really, we just want to belong.
This week’s invitation:
How do you connect to your inner child?
Is there an example or time in your life when growth felt easy or natural?
What life lessons can you learn from your inner child? How can you apply them to your creative practice?
P.S. I’m still on chapter one of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I’d love some company on the journey! Join this chat thread for low-key accountability and takeaways for your own creative practice.
P.P.S. There’s just a few weeks left to participate in May’s art share! Fill out this form to share your poetry, photographs, dance moves, childhood scribbling, and more!
Such wonderful words and life lessons, my daughter is now fully grown but this took me right back. Thank you x