Baby Chronicles: Becoming Us

Part III: Becoming Us

A child shifts the ground beneath your feet. In the first year, as they learn to grasp the world with their tiny fingers, you find yourself grasping too — at the enormity of motherhood.

At first, you struggle to get it all exactly right. You believe that every micro-decision- sleep schedules, meal plans, development toys- has significance. But the more you try to stay on top of things, the more you try control, the less present you are.

And then you discover something unexpected. The details don’t matter to your child in the way they do to you. They don’t really care what they eat, or where they sleep. What matters to them is the space you create for them. To explore, laugh, and play. What matters to them is spending time with you.

And so you learn to let go. You let them be.

And the magic begins there. When you let your child lead, you find they are so completely present- grounded in the moment- that you learn to do the same, just to be with them. You end up moving through your days with more lightness. You’re reminded what life is really about — finding joy in the everyday.

When you let them lead, you learn they are their own person, right from the start. They love music and water. They’re more thrilled by your possessions than their own. They…