Georgia on my mind

Have you recently enjoyed the company of an uninhibited 1-year-old? She (or he) doesn’t hesitate to let you (and the world) know when she is unhappy or full of joy. Her squeals of delight and howls of protest leave no question as to how she feels. Life, for this precious little bundle of energy, is one great, thrilling adventure and she is sure that the whole world revolves around her.

Our next to youngest great-grandchild, Georgia, celebrated her first birthday Jan. 1. To me, there is nothing more delightful than watching a 1-year-old toddling about as they explore their world, excited when you talk to them, and bursting with smiles. One-year-olds are so innocent, so curious, such blank slates waiting to absorb whatever their caretakers surround them with. When she looks at someone new to her, you can see in her expression such questions as “Will I be happy or frightened? Should I be on guard? Can I trust them?”

As Eda LeShan wrote in “The Conspiracy Against Childhood”: “Our young are our own new beginnings, a test to our trust in the future. The innocence, the delight, the wonder, the vitality, the openness to life of childhood are necessary to us.”

If you read my columns, you know I enjoy writing about small children. There’s nothing more precious, more sweet and dear, with more potential for goodness or dysfunction. And there’s nothing more important than their being loved, nurtured and guided by dedicated, educated, patient, nurturing caretakers who understand their needs.

They can teach us empathy, patience, humility. They are the future and it’s critical that they grow up into people that can be a positive influence on those around them.

When, like me, you resemble Mother Time, having the opportunity to view the world through the eyes of innocent and exuberant small children is a wonderful chance to possibly experience a bit of youth again. As Ms. LeShan wrote: “Young children give us perspective … To hold a young warm life in one’s arms is to find one’s inner being and to be refreshed.” But, alas, as I read recently: “An hour with your grandchildren can make you feel young again. Anything longer than that, and you start to age quickly.”

There’s more that we can learn from appreciating young children. We can expand our outlook on life and understand the importance of our dedication to all children’s well-being. We can be reminded of how important it is that we value our children enough to provide for them a life that will give them a good chance for a fulfilling and productive adulthood. It’s amazing what they can do for us if we open our eyes, minds and hearts and imagine the world as seen through the eyes of a baby, toddler and young child. It is an opportunity to recapture some of that reckless abandon, that joy and excitement, that curiosity of little children who haven’t been already spoiled or repressed or taught how to be unhappy — if we allow it.

Hopefully, we will all realize what Eda LeShan so thoughtfully wrote: “What is sacred about childhood is that it is the beginning, the essence of human life, the potential, the promise of individual uniqueness, which we cannot predict and which we therefore must try not to harness, for when we do, we restrict the possibilities.”

Parents must feel indebted to their children. They need to realize that, since they brought them into the world, they should do all they can to contribute to the health of their minds, bodies and souls. They must be top priority and parents should feel privileged to sacrifice some of their desires to give their children the attention they deserve.

When I’m with little children like Georgia and her 5-year-old sister, I always wonder what the world will be like as they grow up and beyond. Will our present politicians have completed the downhill destruction of the United States as we have known it? Will the alienation of our people from one another continue until there is even less respect and cooperation than there is now or will human beings realize the importance of working together to make the world better for everyone?

“I can imagine that some day we will regard our children not as creatures to manipulate or to change, but rather messengers from a world we once deeply knew but have long since forgotten.” – Alice Miller, “For Your Own Good.”

Since 1984, Dorothy Dimitre has written more than 900 columns for various local newspapers. Her email address is gramsd@aceweb.com.