A Developing Process
Looking back at before my son was born it amazes me as to how much he has developed as a human being. The process is quite interesting if I say so myself. The steps occur from not being able to operate without the nurturing of another to finally being able to fend for yourself. I wonder when the point crosses when we reach the age or maturity to when we are actually able to be self-sufficient. Being that I function on my own without anyone else assistance I can look at my son and notice his development to when he is actually able to be more self-sufficient.
When I was a junior in high school I found out that my girlfriend was pregnant and we were going to be having a child. I have to admit that when I found out about this news I was very afraid. I had little experience with children nor had I ever changed one's diaper. So the notion of me having to learn about it all in less than nine months was scary. I was ready to take on the process as best to my ability.
We found out the sex of our child during the summer and we would be having a boy. He was developing at a good rate and was expected to be born on December 2, 2009. Going into my senior year my girlfriend was going through the final months of the pregnancy process. This meant that we needed to understand as best we could what to expect. We took the typical birthing classes that taught the basics such as what to expect in the hospital as well as how to do the simpler tasks like feeding.
December 2nd came and contrary to my girlfriend my son was not ready to come out. Although she ended up going into labor 2 days later around 10 pm. We went to North West Hospital and she gave birth at 3 am on December 5th to our son Caleb.
I can recall when I would have to to everything for him such as changing his diaper and feed him. This may not seem that hard but having to know when to do it could be a challenge. Babies aren't born with the skills to just communicate their needs to their care giver effectively. A cry is the only thing you are given and it is your responsibility to decipher the code. After a while as a parent you develop the skills to distinguish what a certain cry means but every baby is not the same so it could vary from baby to baby.
Later on he began to crawl, which eventually turned into standing and that lead to walking. A simple "coo coo" turned into complete sentences and now I am telling him to eat his chicken.
His motor skills drastically changed and he is finally jumping around wrestling with me. We are able to communicate with each other more efficiently and he is finally feeding himself and almost potty trained. In the morning we get up and he is excited to go brush his teeth with me. I can feel the point in parenting that I have dreamed of approaching sooner than I expected. This point is having him be able to take care of himself and be fully developed. Obviously I'm not suggesting he be able to live on his own at the age of two but I am curious as to when this time will come. I've come to realize that not only have I been watching my son develop into a self-sufficient human being but I too have been still developing into a self-sufficient human being by being able to care for another life other than my own. This leads to my final question of when will we actually be fully developed?