And so it begins...

Here was my moment of Zen the other day. Moments like these are very poignant. On the one hand he is taking his first steps on the path to literacy and making some excellent decisions with his agency which makes me very proud. On the other hand he is only 15 months old and he doesn’t really know what he is doing. He is faithfully replicating what he has seen Jane and me do down to the cardboard briefcase in the foreground.  He sees me carrying my ledertasche when I come home from church functions and now he is following suit which makes me rather scared. I mean he is always watching, learning and observing. When I see him following my example, its like looking in a mirror and I have become very sensitive about the type of example that I lead.

At the same time it is very heartwarming seeing Ian following in our footsteps. He has always preferred to eat what he observes his parents are eating instead of generic baby food. Last night Jane made a very tasty and somewhat spicy, Asian, lettuce wrap dish. We were a little worried the chili peppers would be too much for him. Last summer the chicken at Chipotle was too much for him. But after watching us, he was scarfing the filling down with two hands.

 I have also noticed some similarities with his attitude towards sleep. In short, he resists the urge to slumber until it is physically impossible to do so. I actually do the same thing. I have always preferred to sleep as little as possible; I’ve been known to skip sleeping altogether when enthralled in a good book or computer game. Lately I’ve had some late nights were I’ve needed to unwind afterwards and ended up falling asleep while listening to a favorite podcast on the couch. I guess my age is showing.

It is refreshing to see the many things we have in common. I have so much I want to teach Cheetah and in addition to the many things that I enjoy about life, much of it will be things I always wanted to experience but never did or shortcomings of mine that I want to make sure he avoids. I am apprehensive about how this mix of old and new will be received and I am very glad at this early juncture we are speaking the same language. It bodes well for the future.