Yesterday I watched Frida with an old, broken bauble.
She stared at it. She stroked it. She gently touched the top of it. She repeatedly picked it up and dropped it in her lap, observing how it moved. She put it in her mouth. She tried to roll it.
I love these moments. The concentration on her face, as she loses herself in exploration and in her learning about the world. I try to parent slowly, mindfully, and with presence, but it’s not always easy and I am constantly working at it. The times when I succeed it is such a reward.
It also shows me yet again that our babies do not need fancy toys which jump and sing and move. An old bauble may be a trinket to me, but to Frida it is a treasure.
Lovely. Kids don’t really need much. My daughter is 4 and it still surprises me. If I could parent the early years again, I wouldn’t buy so many toys, she never needed much, except lots of love, and presence as you say!
How wonderful! It’s hard when you live in a culture which tells you stuff = happiness, and if you don’t buy the latest “thing” you’re a bad parent. I often catch myself thinking “oh this beautiful toy would make her so happy” when as you say all she needs is love and attention. X
Yes I never really realized how ‘programmed’ we are till I had a child.
Absolutely! Nothing can replace presence x