It's interesting watching human behavior. I think that innate behavior is cyclical and comes out in infancy, tweenhood, adulthood, and senior-hood.
The need for nourishment:
Over the weekend while babysitting, baby W woke up balling his eyes out. At 2-months old he still isn't sure what's going on with his body or feelings so if something is off crying is the solution. As it had been 2-hours since he last ate, I knew it was milk time and went to heat the bottle for the precursory 2-min. That was the longest 2-min of the day - baby W started wriggling and crying louder and louder.
This morning, I stopped at Peet's for my morning wakeup (half decaf, half regular). Just as I ordered, the coffee ran out ... of all 4 pots (side note - Peet's, how can you let that happen?!) As I waited for the coffee to brew, the line grew behind me and more thirsty adults were left waiting for their jolt. The result? Not crying (close though) but a weird rocking side to side - peoples' impatience for their "nourishment" was entertaining ... and a bit scary (you should have seen some of the looks).
The need to be held:
I'm going to wrap this post with an experience from a few years ago. Again, over the weekend I awed at one of the basic human needs - to be held/touched. Baby W did not want to be put down. In college I spent a summer working 3-days a week at a retirement home, and 3-days a week at a daycare.
At the retirement home I led activities (aka, Bingo) and read to people. While they loved hearing numbers and letters called out and occasionally winning an extra sugar free coffee for "cleaning up" in Bingo, the retirees seemed to love company more. One week I was reading to a man who had been on bed-rest for 2-weeks. He didn't talk - the entire summer I had been there he hadn't spoken so this wasn't new. As I read Moby Dick, Buzz kept looking up scheming something in the back of his mind. At the close of a chapter, he raised his blanket where I was surprised to see ... nothing. Well, something, just no clothes. "Want to get in?" Buzz grumbled (seems he could talk!) I shook my head and walked out - looping this instance to my analogy here, though, people - old and young - just want some kind of affection.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
What an interesting and very true post. I think that I can notice people who were held a lot as babies versus those who weren't! On a side note, even with my cold and my mom on the phone going on and on about not putting 'acidic' foods in my body (i.e. coffee) , I just said "yep, yep" as a gulped coffee in my pj's. It's my happy place.
Post a Comment