by Kalon Mitchell
Since being let go from my job over six months ago, I have had the opportunity to spend some quality time with my son Sam. I usually get to watch him on Mondays and Tuesdays, while my wife works. Over the past six months, I have seen him grow from a “baby” to a “toddler” stage. The experience for me has been like no other. I have been able to observe him, teach him and enjoy being able to bond with him in a way that I don’t think that I could have, had I been working.
Being with him on such a regular basis, I have been able to see his minute changes, from crawling to walking–from mumbling things to actually being able to start communicating with words, actions and expressions. Going through these life stages has not seemed quick at times, but there are points where I could see definite breakthroughs for him in his thinking and actions. I suppose this is how it is with most babies, but it’s such a unique thing to watch, especially when I take the time to think about how I am viewed as a child in God’s eyes. The struggles my little boy goes through, I go through just in a different way.
When he is learning something new, he at times expresses his frustration, but he gets over it and continues on. He is a little sponge, and he is always willing to learn. If he gets mad, he never stays mad, but is willing to hug and kiss and move on. When he doesn’t get his way, he pouts and then goes and finds something else to do. At the end of a day, he has learned a lot of things and goes to bed, to wake up in the morning with an amazing attitude, ready to experience it all over again—and more. This is exactly what I must do.
