I know what you're thinking - Come on, Megan! WE teach babies! They don't even know how to talk before us moms come along! Okay, okay, I hear you. But I think as we grow and stretch and conform ourselves to social norms or the ways of the world, we forget some of the amazing wisdom we know when we are babies. Babies are pros at having fun, letting loose, and being themselves. Here's a little list of things that we can learn (or re-learn, I guess?) from our babies.
1. Farting is NBD. I wanted to start off with this one because I think Ben is a big believer in this principle. Babies fart loud and proud, and they burp and smile like 20 times a day! Now, farts are these embarrassing, polarizing things that make us feel gross and ashamed. Let it out, guys. If it feels good, fart a little bit. (Okay, don't fart in peoples faces and don't fart at people. But also, don't be embarrassed because you have normal bodily functions!)
2. Dancing is so fun. My baby dances. He really does! When I turn on a song and start dancing and singing along, he cracks a huge smile and starts shaking and bouncing and flinging his arms all over the place. It encourages me to dance to make him dance, and it's fun! I think we get embarrassed that we aren't as talented as Beyoncé or a Dance Mom daughter, and we decide that we don't want to make a fool out of ourselves. Two things: Screw anyone who makes fun of your moves, and dance anyway!
3. Seeing the people you love is exciting. When I smile at Ben, his whole face breaks out in a huge grin. It's my favorite smile in the world. When Chris gets home and plays with Ben, he laughs and smiles and coos. He's always so happy to see us, and it feels so good to feel so loved by someone so tiny and sweet.
4. Asking for help is okay. This is one I need to learn sometimes, because I tend to have a "I can do all of this by myself, so I don't need to ask anyone to help me out" mentality. Then, I get stressed and cranky at the people around me because they aren't mind readers and I actually do need help! Babies need help with everything, even wiping their tiny bottoms. (Luckily I don't need any help with that yet.) It's okay to ask someone you trust for help with something.
5. Stay curious! I have never seen anyone more curious than Ben. When we are walking around Target, he has his eyes glued to the colors and lights around him. If something is remotely close to him, he grabs it, inspects it, and pops it right into his mouth. I don't recommend that, but being curious about your surroundings is always good.
6. Forgive and forget; live in the moment. Here comes a bad mom moment! One time, during the midst of our move, Ben was sitting in his carseat. He was not buckled in, and I didn't realize the handle wasn't locked. I picked it up, and he toppled onto the carpet. It was not a far fall, but he got really upset and so did I. I felt like a terrible mom, and I cried. I hate seeing him get hurt, it's the worst thing in the world to me. After I snuggled him and cried about it for a few minutes, he stopped crying and smiled again. He wasn't mad at me. He was back to investigating his surroundings and smiling at me. How wonderful is that? I still can feel my heart pounding when I realized that the car seat didn't feel right when I started to pick it up, but he has forgotten and does not dwell on it or not trust me to pick him up anymore. (I know babies can't really help it, but I think it's a nice thing to learn from.)
7. Food is good. Eat when you're hungry. 'Nuff said.
There are probably about a million more little things we can learn from babies and their actions. I find Ben to be inspiring to me even at 6 months. I hope you all gained a little perspective (toot toot!) from reading this.
Love,
Megan! (aka Early Bird Mama!)
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