Crawling baby by David Černý (Photo credit: exfordy)
A clumsy, uncoordinated child, I had trouble learning to do things that required good balance. I also lacked confidence and was terrified of falling from a height (even a relatively small one).
Consequently, it seemed to take me forever to learn to ride a bicycle. I remember one long summer holiday deciding I was going to crack cycling if it meant practicing all day every day. I was scared to set off and couldn’t understand that momentum would bring balance.
Then one night I had a dream. I don’t remember any of the detail except that in this dream I was merrily riding a bike. My first thought when I awoke next morning was of jumping on my bicycle and seeing if it was really true. Could I really ride like in my dream.
And I could. I had learned to ride my bike in my sleep. My subconscious overcame the confidence problem by sending me a lovely dream.
I mention this only because it was thanks to this experience that I recognised the same thing happening to my special big girl, the day after her first birthday, when she learned to crawl.
After finally settling her for the evening, she slept for around two hours before waking suddenly in a panicky state. She was calling and screaming from her cot. When I got to her she clung to me, desperate to be lifted, then made it clear she was just as desperate to be put down on the floor.
She had never behaved like this and I wondered if she was ill in some way. I put her down and instantly she flopped over on her knees and scuttled off at a terrific pace before sitting and grinning at her achievement.
She had been sitting unaided for a few months but had made no clear attempt to get mobile or start crawling. She hadn’t even done the bum-shuffle.
From the reaction she showed and the expression on her face I know she dreamed she was crawling that night. And I knew it because she felt the same way I did about learning to cycle after so long.
scattymama 