By Jim Hagarty
2012
It seems to me toddlers are walking earlier and earlier all the time these days. I think I heard someone say recently that their kid was walking at nine months.
Our kids were both 14 months when they took their first steps. I was a late bloomer, coming in at the ripe old age of 21 months. I was also a chubby kid and one day after church my Dad carried me in the house and sort of tossed me on the kitchen floor and said, “I’m getting tired of carrying this guy around.” Realizing my free ride was coming to an end, I guess, I apparently got up and walked away.
But I know why it took me so long to get moving. No doubt I was afraid of falling down and getting hurt. I didn’t like getting hurt then and don’t like it now.
It amazes me how quickly babies go from not even being able to roll over onto their sides or tummies, to crawling, to pulling themselves upright on furniture and then walking. From walking to running and they never look back.
But I have heard it said there isn’t much benefit in pushing a kid to walk early. In fact, apparently, crawling forms an important part of their development. I must be very well developed as I did a heck of a lot of crawling in my day. And I rediscovered my talent in university when I found it came in handy for getting home from the pubs.
