adminIn the Netherlands, there is a term for when a baby has a breakthrough in progress. People call it ‘een sprongetje’, literally translated as: a little jump. I hate this term.
Last week, Ollie started actively crawling. For days, he was wiggling his way on the ground. The distance was never more than half a meter. However, today, he started crawling fast. In the blink of an eye, he moved two meters. This is what people call a jump. And I get why they call it like this.
As a fresh parent, it’s interesting and fun to see the development of my child. I’m just so proud to see all the development he’s gone through in his first six months as a human being. Ollie develops rather quickly in comparison to other babies of his age. So, that’s also something I can be proud of.
Every parent is (and should) be proud of every development of their child. Growing from a sperm and an egg into a human baby inside a woman’s womb is a miracle. So is the development of the human brain. All steps are programmed so that a baby goes from a helpless pile of crying meat to a crawling and attention-seeking mini human. All steps are already programmed, but the development varies from baby to baby.
And here’s the problem I have with ‘jumps’. All development steps are labeled. Every development has a timeframe within which the jump should be checked off. This is a problem because people start to compare. I’m also guilty of this. You want to know if your child’s development is still on par. If the baby is ahead of the curve, you’re happy and proud. The opposite is also true. If development lags, people start to get worried.
I’m not a big fan of labeling everything. Every person is unique. Everyone develops in their own way. Instead of looking at what should be, I think we can better look at what is. We should trust in the natural development of a baby. Every day, there is progress. Sometimes small steps, sometimes a Super Mario jump. What’s most important is that your baby has a good environment to develop.