Kids are such beauties. Very adorable. Babies especially. As I write this, I am at the house of a family friend who is nursing her young child. He's only three months old but she cannot wait for him to start walking. She's torn between just letting him be or hoping he could walk in the flash of lightening as I made her remember that kids who have just started walking are always a handful.
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Immediately a baby is born, the stages of his growth bring excitement and some relief to his parents/guardians yet this is not without fright.
The period before I started senior high school, I went to spend some time at an aunt's place. She had had a child. A babygirl. Pretty little thing. I assume she was a few weeks from clocking one or was one already. I cannot correctly recall. But, she was yet to take her first steps. She had not even attempted to stand unaided.
Now, In my Homeland, so many expect a child to be able to walk atleast by their tenth month. And if by their first birthday anniversary, they are yet to walk or have taken their baby steps, the parents might not throw a bash for it. I never understood that logic as a kid. I still do not. Does everyone not go through varying stages of growth whether it takes a short or long time?
Well, In my aunt's case, she was scared. Her little girl was fat. Very chubby. Her legs were neither straight nor strong enough to grace the ground.
I remember her taking the child to this hospital to get treatments and some sort of massage or whatever. A toptier hospital. It it was a medical condition, I have no idea. I only know that she returns and tells us how the baby cried during the session. I know my aunt cried too. My aunt was very scared and fidgety and somehow that rubbed off on me.
We were at home a certain day. Her sister's place. My aunt had gone to work. I was sitting at the dining. My aunt sat In the sofa with the little one on the floor playing. The baby made as if to cry, my aunt stretched her hand and lifted her to her feet. Now, there was a table in front of them and on it was a phone and a tv remote control. The baby stretched her hands but couldn't reach it. You know kids, when they want stuff, they do not stop till they get it. My aunt made remarks in the line of, "Mi, go and collect it."
The baby kept streching and that was all we thought of it.
Surprisingly, this girl put one foot in front of the other and walked in the hurried characteristic baby-way. It was not more than three steps tho.
She got to the table, then fell back on her bum. The screams! My aunt and i were very excited. Felt like we had hit a big goal.
Babies are weird too, you know. I believe my aunt was both uncomfortable and ashamed that the girl was yet to walk and the energy rubbed off on the kid.
The baby's mom returned and when we told her the news, she laughed, she screamed, she was excited. She begged the kid to walk so she could see but that did not happen. Not immediately. But until a few more days.
If only I could explain our anticipaton and followed excitement.
Thank you for gracing this post.
Greetings!