Embracing the Small Moments
Ever wonder what it must be like to view the world through a child’s eyes? Such an odd question considering we were all once children, but research shows that children see so much that we miss. Author Alison Gopnik states that “in some ways, young children are actually smarter, more imaginative, more caring, and even more conscious than adults are.” (A Philosophical Baby) A professor of psychology once explained why kids and adults differ, stating that while adults focus their attention, children see everything. “They are always taking in information, even if it is not what you're trying to teach them.” (ScienceDaily.com)
This statement could not be more true for the children in my classroom or the toddler that I call my son. They are always seeing the world around them with bright wide open eyes, taking in each little thing, tiny detail, and small moment of their day. According to authors Deb Curtis and Margie Carter, these small moments are the bricks and mortar of developing lives. “Our lives are enriched and expanded when we pause to appreciate the experience of childhood.” (The Art of Awareness) My hope as a teacher and a mother is to not only be able to appreciate childhood experiences, but also be able to embrace and learn from children’s ability to take in the small moments.
As an educator, child development has always been intriguing and interesting to me. Since becoming a mother, however, I have been enthralled with every little step of my own child’s development. There is nothing more exciting than to watch little brains at work, witnessIng how they can quickly learn just by watching, listening, observing, experimenting, and exploring the world around them. The Art of Awareness states, “It’s easy to dismiss their explorations, because children move quickly, make messes, and put themselves in seemingly risky situations... but with most everything children do, they have something in mind. They have a purpose or question they are pursuing. When you take even their smallest actions seriously, you will be astonished at children’s deep engagement with the simple wonders around them. You will notice they are studying and speculating, engrossed in each moment.”
This is beautifully stated and encourages me to take a long hard look into exactly what small moments my children are engrossing themselves in. While I would love to delve into the minds of the hundreds of students I have taught over the years, it is impossible to cover each individual’s unique (sometimes overwhelmingly unique) mind. Instead, I would like to zoom in on the one child that will not be coming and going in and out of my life, my wild and crazy red-head curly-haired blue-eyed boy.
A Few Examples
Farris Bueller
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
When my toddler son wakes up, his day is bright and brand new. Even though he wakes up in the same house with the same rooms, objects, and people, he is still able to find and see small new details that my husband and I overlook. We could spend the entire day in the house, but he will still become engrossed with small moments throughout the day. Here are just a few examples of my toddler’s small moment explorations:
Opening and closing doors, cabinets, gates, and drawers
Dropping objects down the stairs and watching gravity do its thing
Climbing in and out of chairs or just sitting in a chair by himself
Hearing the sound of his nails scratching fabric then doing it over and over again
Discovering a new noise his mouth can make and never stopping
Getting as close to the window as he can while he watches a storm
Splashing or doing headstands in puddles after it storms
Trying to grab the light as it streams through the window
Finding a tiny spec, crum, hair, lint, etc. on the floor as he walks
Examining leaves, acorns, and seeds before throwing them off the deck
Watching us get ready then mimicking it by brushing his own hair or putting on mommy’s make up (which daddy hates)
Touching, feeling, and exploring our faces, hair, hands, and arms
Exploring and listening to the crinkling of a plastic water bottle
Crawling into small spaces or climbing onto dangerous places
Playing in the pets’ water bowl then turning it over to watch it spill
Pulling good pens out of mommy’s teacher pen holder
Naming each animal in books and making us say each sound
And of course, putting anything and everything in his mouth
Those are just some of the small moments he encounters simply while being at home, and that doesn’t even include all of the things he learns while playing and exploring with his numerous toys. Moreover, going out to a store or park broadens his experiences tremendously, introducing him to an abundance of small moments to encounter. According to The Art of Awareness, “Grown-ups often overlook toddlers seemingly small experiences, when in fact close observation gives us the complexity of what is going on.” Although it can be exhausting to be a mother, the reward of watching my son learn and grow every day far outweighs all of the blood, sweat, and tears of motherhood.
My Hope
I, for one, do not want my taxing and tiring adulthood to cause me to miss out on the beauty and livelihood of my son’s childhood. The Art of Awareness also goes on to say that from the time children are born, “they are naturally equipped to use their ever developing skills to learn about the world around them. Some adults, however, have to discipline themselves to pay attention to these small moments.” My hope and prayer is to be able to discipline myself to embrace and enjoy the small moments.
I hope to be able to embrace the moments that he lifts his arms up for me to hold him, looks behind him to see if I’m following, or reaches his hand out for us to walk hand-in-hand. I hope to embrace the moments that we have long baby-babbling conversations, as if we are solving the world’s problems. I hope to embrace the moments of listening to his favorite music, even if we listen to it all day long. I hope to embrace the moments that he fits perfectly on my lap with his head cozied under my chin. I hope to embrace the moments that I rock him, singing praise songs and praying with him while taking in his sweet smell and soft touch. I hope to embrace the moments that his laugh fills the empty space in the air and his smile spreads to every soul that is near.
God himself sees every small moment that this massive world encompasses. He not only sees it, but He is IN every tiny detail. He has even numbered the hairs on our heads. (Luke 12:7) If the Lord is in the small moments of each day, then I long to be where He is. Lyrics from a popular worship song by Cody Carnes sum it up best:
“I'm caught up in Your presence
I just want to sit here at Your feet
I'm caught up in this holy moment
I never want to leave”
Whether a Christian or not, it is hard to deny that a child’s small moment of exploration and discovery could be considered a “holy,” joyful, and exuberant moment. Why wouldn’t we want to embrace those moments alongside of them?
There will be an abundance of small moments to come as my son grows throughout childhood, and there will hopefully be other children that I will be blessed to birth and raise along the way. I just pray that God gives me the ability to always embrace the small moments of their childhood. I’m constantly told that it goes by in a blink of an eye, so I don’t want to blink. In fact, I never want to close my eyes. Instead, I will keep my eyes wide open, despite the exhausting chaos around me, and choose to see the small moments of this blessed and beautiful life.
Ritu Ghatourey
“The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.”
Ecclesiastes 8:15
“So I recommend the enjoyment of life, for there is nothing better on earth for a person to do except to eat, drink, and enjoy life. So joy will accompany him in his toil during the days of his life which God gives him on earth.”