Foreshadowing
18 Sep
I love authors who are smart enough to foreshadow. It thrills me to see a picture here or hint there that later comes out as a more fully-developed theme or story in a book. I see some foreshadowing in our family these days.
A few weeks back, I asked some good friends if they could see their children’s personalities when they were babies. They said that you can’t predict what your kids will be from how they act when they’re babies but you can look back later and say, “Now I can see that trait was there while they were infants.” Even though he’s only three and a half months old, we see personality traits in Jack that will probably emerge more fully down the road. For example,
He’s an adventurous explorer. From banging on his toys to feeling the texture of trees to listening intently to new sounds or music, our boy loves to engage the world. Watching him enjoy new sites, sounds, smells, and experiences has made them richer for Sarah and me. We feel like he’s going to grow into a person who loves to engage the world and lives life with vigor.
He’s excitable. From my experiences teaching, I think almost every boy has ADD (if there even is such a thing); they come hard wired for it. At the same time, there are degrees of excitability and fidgety-ness in kids. Jack is only still when he sleeps, and even then, not for too long. I picture Jack as one who will run hard and play hard until he exhausts himself and then get up and do it again the next day.
He’s an entertainer and an extrovert. It seems Jack is most happy in a crowd. He’s never met a stranger, and he loves being the center of attention. Even though he can’t really make words, he likes talking so much that he’ll even talk to himself in the mirror. When he knows someone is keyed-into him, he often makes funny little gestures to keep them rapt. I think he’s going to be a life-of-the-party kind of guy.
He’s thoughtful. When Jack does take time to focus on something, he seems to want to examine it and understand it. We’ve seen him stare memorized at everything from our coffee roaster to the flowers on our front porch. It’s like he’s processing, brooding over what’s in front of him.
He’s a stubborn fighter. When the nurse at the hospital swaddled Jack up right after he was born, he busted out fairly quickly. She said, “I’ve never seen a kid fight so hard and get out so fast. He’s strong and stubborn.” If she only knew. The boy blows us away with his strength and his ability to use that strength to resist things he doesn’t like. Though I know this is going to make discipline and training him quite a task for us, I’m excited that God has put those things in his heart. He’ll need them with the places we’re going, and I think that he will be an excellent leader for his brothers and sisters.
He’s a lover. It may be just a Dad’s wishful thinking, but I truly believe that as much as an infant can, Jack loves us. He seems to delight in being with Sarah, people we know and love, and me. I watch him genuinely experience joy when people he likes come around. Though he’ll have relationships a mile wide, we trust he’ll have many that are also miles deep.
Whether we’re right or wrong on all these things in 15 or 20 years, I know one thing: Sarah and I love the kid. I love dreaming big dreams for him. And I’m so glad I get to be his dad and walk with him through all life brings.
