When my three year old son, Jake, and I go for a walk or to the grocery store or anywhere for that matter, he acts as if he is running for Mayor. He greets everyone with a cheerful “Hi” and if he is not able to find out your name, he will make one up for you (and he always comes up with very interesting monikers for people)!
There was a time whenever my friends were worried that there was something wrong with him because he did not seem to connect. He did not say the word “Mommy” until much, much later than his playmates. In fact, he was the last one in our playgroup to roll over, sit up, crawl, walk, and talk although he is one of the eldest of the bunch.
I recently took him for his 3 year old check-up although he is 3.5 now. I know, I know…I’m always late too (hey…wait a minute, maybe he comes by it justly? And…before you judge my mothering skills, you must know that there were no major shots or anything involved in this doctor visit). His Pediatrician was amazed at his level of communication (even though she had been somewhat skeptical that there was anything wrong when I showed up at her office in tears, one year earlier). “Did you put him in therapy?” she asked. “No” I replied “About a week after my panicked visit, he started talking up a storm, in complete sentences and full of emotion & empathy, and he has not stopped since!” She and I hugged!
I looked at her, contemplatively, and said, “You know…there is a life lesson here. We are sometimes so quick to judge and we, so often, live our lives in a state of comparison. Wouldn’t it be nice if we simply accepted each other, encouraged each other to reach our potential, and did not judge each other’s process of growth, whether we be children or adults?” She smiled and said “Why yes, it would”. After she walked out with her stethoscope in hand, I gave my child an extra hug and gave myself a break for the fact that I was at a place that some may view as “being behind”. And, as I walked out of the doctor’s office, I thought “Watch out world…I might just run for Mayor!”
