keep bags in the house because the listening and feeling it grow into something he could play with that started off flat and grew bigger was the next best thing to sliced bread to him. He would listen and reach out and touch it as my wind into it would make it grow-he would be mesmerized by that.
So out the house we’d go and his favorite thing became:
Me: hitting the highway.
Him: sticking his favorite thing out the window while he held on to end of it for dear life–with his pretty little fingers!
Considering his natural mastery on cause and effect, one day out of nowhere he thought: “I’m gonna let this balloon go. I need to see what happens.”
I was driving and looking right over at him contemplating that moment. It was too funny-the look on his face-how he agonized over that moment and how he kept sticking the balloon in and out the window as I drove.
Finally, he let it go. And really fast; stuck his fingers back out the window (to see if he could catch it)…when it didn’t come back, his stretched his eyes really big and turned face forward and positioned himself in his seat so fast-almost embarrassed-but laughing and “realized” at the same time.
I had to let him know that I saw the whole thing go down.
So I interrupted his lil’ private moment and yelled: “Iiiiiiiii hiii. You let it go and now it’s gone and not coming back!”
He busted into I laughter like I tickled him. It was so cute and funny.
He made peace with that. And knowing what happens when you let things go in the blowing wind: it doesn’t come back.
So from that day forward, when I would blow balloons up and we’d hit the road, sometimes he would purposely let them go-other times, he would play with the wind blowing on the balloon and his face.
I learned to appreciate the fact that my seeing eyes witnessed moments like that and countless more with my son…and made peace with how he sees and learns the world. I feel so blessed and make peace with my being eyes for his like this:
As parents, we are so protective and overprotective of our kids in our own ways and unfortunately, we can’t shield them from everything.
In my situation, I get to protect him from seeing things I don’t want him to see, and he still gets to experience the world through the eyes on his fingertips, and ears. My quest and concern in life is that he has a quality of life and people in and around his world that never steal his joy and learn them and the world around him-the way he learns and experiences it (without incident, accident or harm)-like you and yours.
At any rate.
When I came across this cute video of a little girl 10 month-old girl, Piper–her reaction after putting on the special glasses that enabled her to see clearly for the very first time, it reminded me of my red-robin wish and balloon in the wind moment, all in one.
So cute. So so cute to me.
Scroll up to the OSF big screen and tap in to see for yourself.
artist: Jimmy Cliff
