Looking at the World with the Wonder of a Child

My parents sent me the link to this song a little while ago. It's a very simple tune, and beautiful, and it had an impact on me all out of proportion to its simplicity.
Little Hand by Sovra

I think part of the reason this had such a profound effect on me was that I had only just come out of a black hole of parenting frustration a few weeks before I heard it. This song served as a reminder of the joy that comes with each simple spontaneous hug from my toddler, of the laugh that lights up my heart, and of how refreshing it is to look at the world with the wonder of a small child--and see how incredible the world really is.

It's good to pause from time to time and take mental snapshots of this stage in my son's life. It'll be nice to remember, when he's a surly teenager, that when he was a toddler I thought everything about him was cute, from the sound of his feet running across the floor to his tiny shadow cast on the pavement. When I have to punish him for breaking curfew, I'll be able to remember the way he followed me everywhere and protested if I left his sight. When he's full of adolescent angst and doesn't want my sympathy, I'll have the memory of rocking him before a nap, with him holding onto his bear, unsuccessfully trying to keep his eyes open, content and comforted in my arms.

There are so many little details to attend to when raising a small child--diapers, food, cleaning up messes, baths, taking walks, running errands, play dates--and everything takes so much longer with a child in tow, that we can easily forget to pause and enjoy our lives. As Ferris Bueller says in my husband's favorite movie, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." And there really is nothing like this time.

I might even add this song to my repertoire of lullabies--although not until I can get through the whole thing without crying first!