Before I had a child, my interest in kid noises and activities was pretty low. America’s Funniest and viral kid vids were lost on me. But now that I have one of my own, I understand that people are celebrating milestones and marveling at how an entirely guileless, novel, unprejudiced, unpolluted brain works. There is such a brief window of time before a child’s thoughts and actions are guided almost entirely by others; when you watch an infant and toddler you are seeing the most raw, unfiltered, unpolished human functions possible. Watching an entire, complex person grow out of the handful of cells you tossed together in a rowdy bedroom boink a few months before is fascinating.
For months a baby’s only sound is a cry or complaint. They don’t make happy noises for several months, so a laugh is very gratifying. It means you’re doing something right. Smiles, laughter, and mimicking adults is another very big deal. Humans are social animals, and the healthiest, safest, most well-adjusted and lovable human beings are those who can smile, laugh, and engage others. Happy moments are worth celebrating and sharing.
A baby’s first forays into independence are thrilling to those who have watched an infant do little more than eat, cry, sleep, and poop for months. That first grasp of a toy, first shake of a rattle, first attempt at crawling, first words and first steps are a marvel. The little one finally has some independence and isn’t a helpless little grub anymore. Reaching those first milestones are a very big deal for them, too. Finally, some control over their tiny worlds!
And because kids are effing ridiculous. They come up with some crazy, awkward concepts of fun that we can’t compete with and we may be a little jealous of. Hours of fun with a empty water bottle and a cardboard box. Tearing paper or a barking dog inspires hilarity. A wooden spoon and a couple saucepans are orchestral maneuvers to them. When my baby discovered her feet her glee surpassed whatever Columbus supposedly felt. Since she was 8 months old, mine pretends to read “bah, bah, Bah-BAH!” with tone and inflection and pauses for page turns. Except she holds the book upside down, sideways, or closed. It’s funny to me, funny to those who love us, and kind of funny to those whose kids did similar things. Kids are just transparent, and it’s amusing to watch every single thought and concept that pings through their growing minds. And it only happens once, and for a very brief time, and it’s gone forever and replaced with normal, mundane people things if we don’t record it or share it.
I don’t have any kids and have no intention to and as of last year, am no longer able to.
