The Human Spectrum

I have two young children now, but for many years before then I wasn’t around babies much. When our daughter was born, she was sui generis to my wife and I. At times she seemed like a miniature adult, and we had glimpses of how she would be when she matured, but most of the time she was her own fascinating being.

My son was born a few months ago, and I have a lot more perspective now about babies, and how they develop into toddlers. A little while after he was born, I went to a company picnic. Many of my coworkers brought their children, so there were people of all ages there, from a few months on up to fifty years or so. And then things clicked for me; it all came together. Looking at all the people, I could finally see them against the spectrum of human development. I saw the one-year-old who’d just learned to walk, and I knew where he’d been, and where he was going. I could see everyone – children, young adults, middle-agers, at being at exactly their points in transition, if that makes sense.

Maybe that just proves I’d been naïve and without a clue before, but it was a very cool experience. One of the things I’ve enjoyed about being a parent is how it broadens your perspective on life.