Braxton-
As I write this, you are in your mother’s office, sleeping. This is something that you, as an 8 month old, have mastered. I’ll admit that it’s better than it was, but you still seem to lead the league in hours slept per day.
Not too long ago, it was almost a problem. While you were supposed to be hitting the milestones of your infanthood, you found it much more apropos to nap. We would put you on your belly for tummy time, but instead of the struggling and wiggling that leads to eventually rolling over, you would close your eyes and sleep. Where most children would need to be nursed to slumber, you had to be awoken for many of your meals. More than once I happily chose to hold you after I had a long day, knowing that if I held you for just a short while, you would fall asleep, and then I could follow suit with a nap. You slept so often and so soundly that you had “mild flattening” on the back of your head.
Luckily, you outgrew that. You rolled over, you’re awake for meals, your head is round (very round, a trait which you get from me, sorry). But now that we’ve moved beyond these things, we’re trying to get you to crawl. Once more, when we set you on your tummy, there is little action. You don’t sleep anymore, but you are content to simply lie there and just watch as your mother or I try to encourage you to crawl. What’s worse, you don’t even want to roll over anymore. Sure, when it comes down to it and you’re done being on your tummy, you’ll roll. But for the most part, you’ll just lie there.
After much speculation, I think I have deduced the issue: much like the fabled honey badger, you just don’t care (will I be able to explain that reference to you someday? How long do YouTube videos last…?). You may not consciously be asking the question, but somewhere deep inside, I think you’re wondering, “Why? Why do I want to do any of this?”
Much like our spherical heads, I think this something you get from me. You may outgrow this at a young age, but I continue to try and avoid things that I can’t find good reason to make an effort for. Like many other things, this has its pros and cons. You can be called lazy or unmotivated; I’ve even been called irresponsible because I didn’t hold the same priorities as others. But you have so much more energy for the things you do hold dear. Skipping a lot of tedium allows you more time to invest in other things.
At the end of the day, you could argue for either side. But as you quietly rest, I’ll just say that, for now, if you would rather chill for a while before learning to crawl, I won’t stop you.
Our hands are full with your sister as it is…
1 Corinthians 1:4-
Dad
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