Baby Lauren teaches me many things, one of which is NOT to say, “Cannot.” to her.
When she first attempted to dismount from our bed, I said, “Cannot, it’s dangerous.” But before I could get to her, she did it, skillfully. That left me speechless.
When she first tried to walk up the stairs, I asked her, “Cannot, Mummy carry you ok?” But she inched toward the stairs, pulling my hand along, and lifted her feet, one by one until we reached the top. And after just 5 more tries, she could walk up the stairs on her own.
When she first saw an escalator, I warned her, “Cannot, very dangerous!” But she dragged me to the foot of the escalator and looked at me, and back at the escalator. I held on tight to her hand, and without hesitation, she took a step confidently onto the moving stairs. And chuckled so happily, we always take the escalator now. All. The. Time.
Part of me wants to protect her and shield her from everything. Yet, another part of me wants her to explore and experience the world without fear. I guess my fear of her losing her courage is greater than the fear of her stumbling down. After all, she can always pick herself up if she falls but if she loses her fearless innocence, she’d probably never reach her full potential. Whatever that may be.
Reminder to self: Stop saying the word, “cannot!” and bite my tongue while doing so.
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