Life Lessons from Gage

I’ve learned a great deal since becoming a mom. Things I said I would never do, like let my kid play on my phone, I’ve resorted to quickly in a moment of desperation. There are still plenty of days when I have no clue what I’m doing, and truly just figure it out as I go. But a few of the most important lessons I’ve learned have been from my sweet Gage. His spirit is amazing and I’m beyond proud of him for so many reasons. The things he’s taught me have less to do with parenting and more to do with life in general. Here’s a sampling of a few takeaways from this handsome fella.

Work Hard, Play Harder

Gage is such a trooper with everything thrown his way, which includes countless hours of therapy, frequently meeting new people, doctors, etc. and going from one appointment to the next, sometimes back-to-back. He always amazes me at just how well he copes with it all. He works so hard to achieve even the smallest things, like reaching for the correct puzzle piece or several reps of therapeutic exercises in “the cage.” Some days are better than others, but Gage’s norm is being a happy-go-lucky guy who’s eager to please and perform. But when he is the most successful is when his therapists make it fun for him. He’s got some AWESOME therapists (even college students in training) who brainstorm and come up with clever ways to get Gage to work while he’s having fun! He’s always motivated to try hard just for encouragement or praise, but he really shows off is when therapy is a game for him. This kid knows how to play hard!

Appreciate the Simple Things

Gage has a wonderful appreciation for the small things in life. One of his absolute favorite activities is watching me fold laundry. It’s so crazy, but he loves it. He’ll squeal and giggle with every single piece of clothing I pull out of the dryer. For me, this task can be repetitive and boring (even dreaded), but Gage’s delight makes it so much more enjoyable. His appreciation of the simple things are a welcome reminder for me to do the same.

Know What You Like and What You Don’t

My happy-go-lucky guy goes with the flow, but he definitely has his favorite things too. There is one particular black and white animated video that he’ll watch on loop on You Tube. It has adorable animals dancing around to classical music and is hands down Gage’s favorite distraction. The high contrast visuals and pleasant tunes are nice, so you might assume any similar video would be equally entertaining, but that’s not the case. As soon as the 2 minutes and 59 seconds have ended and You Tube automatically starts playing the next, extremely similar video, Gage complains to let me know it’s not the right one and I need to go back and hit replay. You can’t fault a kid for knowing what he likes!

Develop a Love for Reading

Gage has been a fan of books from early on. Aside from his favorite video, a good old basket of books is a sure fire way to keep his adorable smiles and giggles coming. I could read through every book in our house multiple times and Gage wouldn’t get bored. He’s so engaged through each turn of a page.  He even anticipates the ending of his favorites and starts to pout before I can get out “the end” because he doesn’t want story time to be over.

Nothing Beats a Good Bath!

The tub is Gage’s happy place! He’s got his bedtime routine memorized (bath, bottle, brush, book and bed) and enjoys each step, but the first one is by far his favorite. His anticipation just at the mention of the word “bath” is adorable. He gets downright giddy, and when he hears the faucet turn on and sees the bubbles start to suds up, he can hardly contain himself. And I can hardly contain him as he works with all his strength to wiggle out of my arms. Sometimes after a long, hard day, you just need a nice soak (or crazy splash session) to unwind.

Maybe you’ll find some takeaways from Gage’s life lessons. If you’re really lucky, maybe you’ll even get a bubble bath tonight!