Innocence of Ignorance

Obviously it's been far too long since my last posting. With work consuming much of my free time, the remainder I try to spend with little Dylan. He honestly gets cuter every time I see him. He's had a couple of tough phases with colic and teething, but he and mom seem to have gotten through the worst of it.

It's fun to look at Dylan and know the world the lies before him as he slowly discovers it. First shapes, then his hands and feet, sounds, and on an on. It's daunting when you realize how much a baby learns in a short time that allow them to classify and recognize a seeming never ending list of new experiences, both externally and internally.

But this phase in Dylan's life also holds some unique benefits. It's only in this time in one's life that there is no such thing as:

• anger-he screams, but only because his music box stops


• sadness-he cries, but as a way of telling us that food needs to go in, or has come out


• sin-how much trouble can you get into if you can't even roll over


• wars-he as waged war on a couple of diapers, but thankfully no casualties


• peace-no war then no peace


• guilt-likely to change when his mobility increases


• jealousy-loves daddy and the ceiling fan equally


• death-he's killed off a couple of formula bottles but nothing serious


• loss-if I hide my face with a cloth, he immediately thinks I've disappeared...and he's ok with that


• lies-unless his babbling is just a ruse


• embarrassment-the kid is quite happy to be laying stark naked on a scale while nurses dodge the stream of pee


• condemnation-maybe once he sees pictures of some of the things we've made him wear

When a baby is born, they know how to breathe, blink, cry, even identify mom and dad. These abilities are birthed with the baby and are available from day one. If Dylan doesn't have an understanding of the list above, how does he learn them? I believe that the world, or society, or whatever you what to call the mass of public perception slowly roots into people and with it come the unnatural and bitter components of living life in this world. It's a challenge as a parent that I didn't anticipate. You can't learn and grow into the world without being a member of it.

"Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil" Gen3:11