Dangers of Discovering the World (Diary of a Six Month Old)

For the first few months of my life, I could not move myself or assert my will beyond crying at the top of my lungs. I was picked up to be fed, toys were dangled in front of my face and I was carried from one place to another.

Sometime last month though, I discovered that my limbs had enough strength to support a few adventures around the house. In these weeks, I have learnt to flip onto my stomach, to sit up without support, to drag myself across the floor from one end of the room to another, to bang a toy and to hold something to pull myself up. Not bad, eh?

I Climb Walls When I’m Bored (My Spiderman Avatar)

Life has certainly gotten more exciting ever since. I now see the world from new angles, no longer restricted to staring at the ceiling. I can now choose which toy I want to pick up, no longer stuck with the one placed in my hands. I can now chase that tempting red ball rolling across the floor, no longer watching it with wistful eyes. And I can hold my crib bars and lift myself to my knees, so that I can peek out to see what’s happening. The other upsides of all these exertions is that I get super hungry and then sleep like a baby (pun intended). The downside of all these adventures, however, is that I keep finding myself tumbling and getting hurt.

Gone are those peaceful days of lying back and scratching my face with my nails. In these last few weeks, I’ve banged a toy on my face and cried. I’ve developed a blister on my toe with all that dragging-myself-around. I’ve figured how to sit and then suddenly toppled over backwards bashing my head on the floor. I’ve tumbled off the bed while exploring the edges and given myself a massive scare. I’ve hit my chin on the crib edge while attempting to pull myself to a standing position. I’ve banged my head on the headboard of the bed while chasing a toy. Most embarrassing of all, I have managed to get on my hands and knees to try proper crawling, lost my balance and smashed my nose on the floor.

Peeking Out of My Crib

I tell you, the world is fraught with dangers for a poor six month old who is trying to make sense of things around him. My parents think that now that I’ve fallen off the edge of the bed, I’ve learnt my lesson and won’t ever venture in that direction. But you tell me, if I were to get frightened every time I fall or stumble, will I ever learn to sit, crawl or walk? If I were to get terrified of the unknown, will I ever learn anything new at all? No.

And wise guy that I am, I understand that.

So. It’s time to leave the laptop and get back to banging, smashing, tumbling and toppling.

Wish me luck!

And hey, before you go, have you checked out my Mum’s latest book, Silent Promises? If you do pick it up, drop me a note on this blog or on Mum’s FB page. Given the immense popularity of my recent posts, my Mum has hired me as her Marketing Agent and I get a commission on each sale. Cool dude I am, no? 😛