I was previously grumbling to myself of the weight of carrying Haruka around as she did not want to walk. In a twink of an eye, Haruka now complains that she wants to walk and does not want to be carried.
We have enjoyed our walking sessions together as we could communicate easily due to the proximity of our heads when I lift Haruka close to me. We have a stroller, but I would only use it for longer walking strolls. As I carried her, I have taught her the many names of animals around her and their sounds and actions, to remember other peoples' names, to hum songs and remember tunes and many other communication.
Yet, due to the weight, I was constantly pointing to Haruka of the other babies who would walk next to their parents. I would encourage her to grow up and be a big girl so she could be a Barney girl. At first, I thought this encouragement was going to deaf ears. But it did not. Haruka now enjoys walking and even would increase her speed to walk as fast as us (before she gets tired and takes her nap
on daddy's arms). Yet, I am glad that this window of learning was provided to her, while she was yearning to learn from dad. Tomomi told me that she read a book saying that children under 3 years old, absorbs the fastest. Hence, while we do not push our child, being there patiently encouraging can make a big diffe
rence. The child need not feel alone or afraid to learn. The child is given motivations and visual goals to strive to achieve. All this takes time. Love takes time. Love develops patience in us. When we love sacrificially, these fruits begin to grow in us. God is love and when we love, we develop the virtues of God. As a daddy, we learn to love which changes us as a person to be more like God. Of course, we still have our weaknesses, but love strives us to love more and more.(Photos show Haruka at a slide on a road made into a narrow playstrip for parents to take their child in the midst of window shopping the latest trends at Harajuku, Tokyo).
1 comment :
Approaching 200 tips! Congrats!
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