On Problems and Solving Them
January 9, 2016
Dearest Solomon,
This morning I witnessed something pretty amazing — your ability to solve problems. While up for your morning play time (let’s chat later about why it started at 6:30am), I brought you over to the big chair to give you a hug. That lasted about 30s before you were visibly bored.
So I plopped you down right in front of me to see where you might try and go — you’ve only just started crawling a week now, only take a few creeps forward ever, yet. And then you made your move.
At first, you turned to look at the small space heater emitted a steady “whirrrr” to fight to cold here in your room. As you started, I instantly thought to myself, “Oh my god, this boy is just always going to find the most dangerous thing and beeline for if, isn’t he?”
You started to push. I haven’t yet figured out if this is physiological or mental, but you seem to look in one direction and pedal in the other. Then it happened and I had my answer. As you stated at the heater, you pushed away, making your way to the promised land of the play mat and your toys that already seem to be everywhere.
As you pushed and creeped and rolled, leveraging your full repertoire of techniques for getting from A to B, I was reminded of an important lesson. Some day, hopefully not too soon, you are going to knowhow to walk and jump and launch — far more advanced and often effective ways to do what you just needed to do.
Think on this son — problems come in all shapes and sizes and, as a result, so do their solutions. Sometimes the best way to solve something is to run straight at, and hopefully through, it. But as is usually the case in life, the obvious thing — the easiest thing — is neither the best or ideal. Sometimes you have to think different, see things from more than one angle or point of view to really understand what you are trying to do.
Don’t forget how powerful your unique way of seeing the world is, OK? And if you don’t mind, please don’t grow up so fast on us.
Love always,
Dad
