Curiosity! The Most Important Vitamin for a Child's Development

Milestones! The most exciting moments for any new parents and most definitely for me (and the husband) was seeing our son achieve these important stages in his growth and development. Each exciting moment brought many surprises and left us anxious for what to expect. From lifting his head, to rolling on his tummy, sitting and eventually crawling, he soon wanted to explore his surrounding all by himself.

What we did learn though was that as he achieved all this, his curiously increased tenfold. The first thing he learnt to master was picking up anything minuscule from the ground and putting it straight into his mouth. His pleasure was quite evident and very soon we discovered that when something went into his mouth, his naughty, pleasurable smile would give him away. So it became very important for us not only to fuel this curiosity but ensure a safe environment where he was free to learn and explore without any fear. It meant being extra cautious of any little thing lying unattended on the floor, examining all of his toys for possible culprits like buttons, screws, and choking hazards. As he learnt the exciting new things that his fingers could do, I could sense his wonder at being able to grasp and feel the texture of many things around. From the threads on his blanket, the pages of a story book, food in his plate, and the grass in the park. As soon as he found something new and interesting, he would rush to share the excitement with us, often ‘babbling’ and ‘cooing’ in delight.

There was initial disapproval and quite a few “no don’t, do this” or “stop doing that!” but I slowly learnt to accept that it's sometimes okay to let him get in a mess, to let him bang on something and realise that as annoying as it sounded to me, he was actually learning something new. I strongly believe that the most important thing we did to encourage his development was letting him explore without disapproval, without constantly telling him “Don’t touch this”, “Don’t do that”, “No”. Curiosity truly allowed my son to master his intellect, experience a joy exactly how kids should be able to, it probably helped fight some of his fears (of ants, spiders and more) and it definitely allowed him to express himself more. As a parent it felt wonderful to share and learn with him.

Would love to hear stories of your child’s development dear Mom’s. Thanks for taking the time to read this article.