At the time all eyes and ears were focused on Hurricane Harvey aftermath and the arrival of Hurricane Irma, we went from hot to cold. Now we face the cooling temperatures of September and October for the weeks to come, while the onslaught of Hurricanes Jose and Maria occupy the news.
And another observation from weeks of watching very small children learn to walk–I choose to sit on the back row at my church, where the folding chairs are set up. As you know, I’m short and my legs often do not reach the floor in a normal pew; add cushions and it is ridiculous. So I sit on a folding chair that is closer to the floor and allows me to sit with my feet on the floor.
From my vantage point, I get to watch these very small children in our congregation. One little boy, born about 2 months ago, will not sit on his mother’s lap–he wants to stand. He is a very quiet little child except when he has to sit. My children were normal, following the guidebook on standing, pulling up, and walking. This little child wants to stand, for an hour–at 2 months.
My very small grandson, age 4 months learned to crawl, by walking on his legs and pushing himself along. Last evening, with help, he walked across the room and I am sure he will no longer be content to crawl and scoot–the view from the top is much more exciting! And he got the attention of everyone around him.
So what is normal? From this view–in 2017, throw the guidebooks to the hurricanes and and let’s observe reality all around us. Every Sunday, I watch very small children outwit their loving parents and do exactly what they want to do, get what they want to have, go where they want to go. At ages that astound us all!
Are kids smarter at younger ages today than in the past? With or without electronics, I think they are. I’ve sat at the back of the church for a lot of years. Parental control now seems to amount to following, catching, enabling, and watching these small ones accomplish their own achievements. Shall we all say, “Bravo!” ?
Be of Good Cheer–we may be in better hands. Your favorite genealogist, Arlene Eakle http://arleneeakle.com
PS Like lots of women in nursing, I took Child Development Classes to become a better nurse. And I worked at a children’s hospital after I graduated. A very small Indian boy was brought in because he seemed to be developmentally backward. His bright brown eyes just danced with the attention we all gave him. He was reported 2-and-1/2-years-old. His development appeared to be 9-12 months. My first reaction: what if he was a normal 11-month-old child? He did things and acted like he was almost a year old. According to the book. What if…? I wrote in my notes. And the conclusion of the doctors and the nursing staff, after numerous hours of testing and observation–He was 10-11-months-old!
Compared to the two examples given above, he was behind in development. What is normal?