Indianapolis Area Real Estate Blog

6 Lessons From My Granddaughter

There are lessons to be learned in every breathing moment, should we take time to stop and look around. Sometimes the profound smacks us upside the head and says, “Pay attention”; other times the soft whisper of the wind and the sunset teaches us the beauty of a quiet evening. Life is an ever evolving lesson.Grandbaby #4She made her way into this world in April, 2008, with a cry to let us know she had arrived. One look and I could see her mothers face looking back at me. It’s quite remarkable when you see the face of your child in the eyes of your grandbaby.

There’s something so sweet and innocent about a newborn. It was love at first site. She grew, as babies do, so fast it seems – where did the time go. I should have cuddled her more because now she has no time. She is exploring her own world, as small as it is.

Lesson 1 – take time for the small things, time passes too quickly She begins exploring the boundaries of her world by rolling. I have never seen a baby roll with such precision. Around tables, through doorways and down the hall to get where she wanted to go. We assumed she had no interest in crawling since she could get wherever she wanted by rolling.

Lesson 2 – obstacles are for going around Granddaughter at Easter She starts to scoot to get around. Apparently, she prefers scooting to crawling, but eventually she does crawl and always with her right hand in a fist. Did I say she’s a lefty like her daddy? From the time she showed a preference, she reached for everything with her left hand. Her binky, her ba-ba, her bunny and food, when she started to eat………everything she needed.

Lesson 3 – You don’t need a lot of things to make you happy. She’s over a year old now, but she doesn’t talk much or walk. She still prefers to crawl and scoot. Her mommy taught her and her brother sign language when they were babies, so she knows how to get what she wants. She says Mama, Dada, Ba-ba, something similar to brother and rar rar for dog. Go figure! But, we know what she wants and that’s all that matters to her.

At the beach in Florida

Lesson 4 – There’s more than one way to communicate. She’s a year and a half old now and still not walking on her own. She stands and walks around tables and falls if she takes a few steps on her own. She can’t seem to coordinate getting her right foot in step with her left. She falls and crawls and scoots to the table and tries again. The doctor is a bit concern,  she appears to have more strength in her left side than her right. Her muscles on the right side seem a bit tense. So off to the specialist for a visit! It’s a month away and by the time she arrives at her appointment, she has learned to walk on her tippy toes. The kid has perseverance!

Lesson 5 – Never, ever give up! The doctor watches her walk and examines her – but the people of her world, the ones who love and cherish her were not prepared for the diagnosis – Cerebral Palsy. Seems she’s one of the lucky one’s – a mild case. Still, she willIn the Fall have lots of therapy; physical, speech and occupational. She was fit for a special boot to assist her in walking. One step at a time!Last week, her mommy said, she made the sign for more and said mo…. Another small step! Funny thing, she doesn’t know anything has changed. She still goes full speed ahead and keeps trying new things, even if she falls. In her mind, she has no limitations. She has no small voice telling her she can’t. I hope she never does. I pray she never does!

Lesson 6 – We are only limited by our belief. This is not a sad story – just a life story. Life has a way of teaching us the things we need to know - to live, to love, to enjoy each day. The lessons she has taught me apply to every aspect of life. I’m certain my grand-daughter will teach me so much more in the years ahead. Hopefully, I’ll be able to teach her as much.

Discussion

#1 By Cary NC Homes for Sale at 11/17/2009 4:21 PM

"She has no small voice telling her she can't." That's a great point, and it led me to wonder at what point we've all grown that same small little voice in our heads. Or better yet, how do we turn down the volume of that voice and get back to our inner child?

#2 By Paula at 11/21/2009 9:18 PM

It is an interesting thought! In a sense, it is the power of belief and often a child's spirit is crushed by seemingly innocent conversations and words they should never hear. These are the words which seem to echo inside our head whenever we are unsure or insecure about a situation. Learning to turn off the noise and replace it with positive reinforcement is crucial for both children and adults.

I once heard it takes 7 positive comments to overcome one negative. We should speak more positive.

#3 By furture home at 11/23/2009 6:30 PM

These are good life lessons for adults as well. Too often us adults get caught up in the complications, complexity and drama of life and need to get re-centered on the basics, so thanks for sharing.

#4 By Paula at 11/24/2009 3:31 PM

Future Home - I originally titled this "6 lessons from my grand daughter"; like you said, it's important for adults to learn these lessons. Life events have a way of reinforcing what we should have known and practiced to begin with.

Post a Comment

Blog Archives

Posts By Category

All Categories Buyer Resources (59) Community News (37) Home and Family (36) Home Maintenance Tips (14) Homeowners (34) Homes for Sale | Listings (25) Indianapolis Things to Do (62) Indy Photo Spot (5) Lifestyle Communities (4) Local Indy (42) Market Statistics (87) Mortgage News and Info (49) Parks and Recreation (12) Random Thoughts (19) Real Estate News (73) Real Estate Terms (15) Relocation Tips (8) Seller Information (41) Upcoming Events (3)

Posts By Month

Blog Roll

Homes in Hendricks County
Grab Our RSS Feed
New Listing Alerts

Be one of the first to know when new listings matching your criteria hit the market.

Get New Listings
Relocation Guide

Find your next home and learn about neighborhoods, current market statistics, and local schools.

Free Relocation Guide
Free Market Analysis

Our free service provides you with a detailed estimate of your home's current market value.

Get a Free Market Analysis