Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Selective Memory

Having a baby is all about new beginnings.

Everyone talks about how, the second you lay eyes on your brand new bundle of joy, all the crap you had to deal with during the pregnancy and labour is completely and magically forgotten! Well, for once, that's actually true! However, the selective memory doesn't end there.

One of the most amazing things I've found with my daughter is that every morning, every single morning, she wakes up with this HUGE smile on her face. All of yesterdays tears (however few or many there were) are completely forgotten, and she's just bursting with joy to see me and start the day. Aaaaaand, it's infectious. As soon as I see that huge grin, I find I'm sporting a matching one myself!

The best part is, it's like this all day, everyday. Your day with baby is full of tough parts and frustrations (lack of clear communication does this): All of which are completely forgotten as soon as he/she looks at you, you see the happy recognition light up in his/her eyes, and (there it is!) a big, drooly, gummy grin breaks out across those chubby cheeks: A smile so big, you wonder if your poor prince/princess's face might start to ache.

Even if you have one of those battles...you know...THOSE ones, where you actually, for a split second, catch yourself thinking that shaking a baby can't be that detrimental, can it?*; as soon as you catch a glimpse of the next baby-smile, all the fussing and chagrin and hair loss (yours, not baby's) is completely forgotten.

It doesn't even stop there! I only have one baby of my own, but I played a huge roll in raising my step-sister; so I know that when your baby hits the toddler stage (and beyond), every new discovery he/she makes has the same magic and mystery as it did when little-toddler-you first encountered it. When your child finds something new to learn and ask about, that selective memory comes round again: Although you remember enough information about it to answer your your child's unending questions, you find you want to inspect every tiny aspect of this New-Thing from every different perspective possible: Just like your son/daughter is busy doing too.

It truly is amazing watching your baby/child's mind work.

Also, now you have something else to blame your shitty memory on, besides sleep deprivation!





*Yes, I'm completely prepared for all you non-parents to rip me apart in the comments; but I do know that all you moms out there have this tiny part of you, deep down inside, that's guiltily nodding in agreement