As a certified sentimentalist, one of my favorite activities to pass small moments of time in waiting rooms or adjacent situations is looking through my camera roll.
Recently, this tender pastime led me to rediscover this column’s photograph, which showcases a euphoric moment between high school me and a tiny family friend. In the photograph, I’m gently hoisting my friend in the air to pull giggles of delight from her and everyone around us.
This was her first summer at my family friend’s cabin, and she was undoubtedly the center of attention for the week. The joy of watching her navigate the woods and lake for the first time filled us all with wonder, and her seraphic sounds pulled smiles from us all day.
There is something undeniably magical about watching babies experience new sensations of life firsthand, and viewing life from their perspective propagates a glimmery kind of nostalgia.
Due to infantile amnesia, we are unable to remember our own lives as babies, so watching others live through this period is the closest we can get to this splendid period of life.
As I looked at images of her young life, I fondly reflected on other babies I’ve watched grow up in real time: my younger cousins, family friends and infants at the child care I worked for. Their faces hold a special place in my heart and mind, and bring me a unique sense of jubilation.
I consider it a profound gift that I’ve been able to watch so many precious lives unfold before my eyes.
Though a few months might fly by without much change or absurdity for us, just one month of an infant’s first year is filled with more possibility and development than is easy to imagine.
If you’ve had enough conversations with me, you most definitely know that I adore children and babies. With this in mind, know that I write not to attempt to instill a shallow sense of baby fever in you, but to remind you of the irreplicable lessons and ideas we can learn and gain from children.
Consider an infant’s loud, unabashed, contagious laughter. Babies react with their whole heart; unguardedly. In the 21st century, we can learn a thing or two from their honesty and freely experienced happiness. Perhaps they have the right idea.
And toddlers, despite their unpleasant reputation, often readily launch into new experiences and converse with anyone and everyone. Those of us who have leaned into the comfortable embrace of timidity might gain something from replicating their fearlessness and amiable ways.
When I recall the first time I held a baby, I consider just how many lessons I learned in that small but shiny moment: how to be gentle, the value of patience and when to ask for help.
When we realize that we can learn as much from children as we teach them, I believe our society can reignite the values of love, whimsy, curiosity and collaboration.
I encourage you to think about everything you’ve gained and learned from the infants and children in your life. Likely, you’ll realize they hold a significant place in your memories. If not, maybe you’ll begin seeing them in a different, more pleasant light.
O’Brien can be reached at [email protected].
