My dad sent me this really interesting NY Times article about childhood development. You can read it in full here (Your Baby Is Smarter Than You Think), but the last paragraph really says it all: "What children observe most closely, explore most obsessively and imagine most vividly are the people around them. There are no perfect toys; there is no magic formula. Parents and other caregivers teach young children by paying attention and interacting with them naturally and, most of all, by just allowing them to play."
This is most important job Daniel and I (and all parents) have ever had . . . the most difficult job we have ever had . . . the most rewarding job we have ever had and doing it successfully requires that we play. Our lives have become a blurred conglomerate of funny faces, goofy games, silly songs. Indeed, routine daily chores have become play time. Peek-a-boo with the bath towel. Reach and grab at the grocery store. Toe sucking during diaper changes. It is fabulously fun, for Gavin and his parents.
I knew that having a child would be rewarding, but regaining the ability as an adult to look at all of life as a silly game of exploration is an unexpected treasure. Admittedly, this perspective is probably most vibrant now. In fact, beside the sleep deprivation, I'm sure that a total surrender to the sillies during the newborn weeks is the impetus for "mommy brain" - the term used to describe a new parent's inability to speak coherently, sing any song other than a nursery rhyme, remember what day of the week it is, etc. But I am hopeful that at least a part of it remains forever. Perhaps this explains why, during one of my visits home from law school, my dad with a huge genuine smile could still excitedly ask me if I'd like to stir the new jar of peanut butter. My answer then was something along the lines of, "no, dad, I'm not five years old anymore." Next time, I think I'll go for something more along the lines of, "heck yeah."
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