Five Simple Living Tips from a Baby

This post is written by contributing author Vanessa Williams.

When you are pregnant with your first child, everyone tells you your life is going to be turned upside down by the little bundle of joy about to enter your world. And it’s true. There are few things quite as dramatic that affect your everyday life minutia like a child.

One thing I truly looked forward to was teaching and sharing things with my now nearly four month old daughter. But what no one tells you is that in fact that your child will teach YOU a few things as well. Here are a few pearls of wisdom I’ve picked up from Cora.

Photo: jana_koll

Try to experience things like it’s the first time

Looking at the world through a child’s eyes is a truly amazing thing. Everything is new. The mundane is suddenly special. A pretty flower, a soft cat’s tail, the sun on your face - these are all simple and wonderful things that we can all take pause to appreciate a little more.

Live in the moment 

I have been completely shocked at how my daughter can go from full blown shrieking meltdown to smiling five minutes later. She doesn’t care that she was having a bad day. She moves on just as quickly as it came on. Taking things in stride, enjoying them or not as the case may be, is the way of life. Take it for what it is.

Laugh more, and laugh often

The silliest things make my daughter giggle, like putting the soles of her feet together. There is probably no limit to what a parent will do to make their child laugh. Getting silly and just goofing around on a daily basis is an important thing to make sure you don’t take life too seriously.

Eat dinner together

This may seem so simple, but many of us don’t eat a meal together, or if we do it’s in front of the TV with no conversation(guilty). Eating dinner together as a family gives us adults the much needed conversation and face time we need to catch up on the day, and gives Cora the opportunity to contribute to the conversation in her own way.

Be still

Sometimes when Cora is getting sleepy she will lay quietly on your shoulder. These quiet snuggle moments I truly cherish, and it has taught me to slow down. One thing that has caught me by surprise is what a homebody I have become. I used to be very much on the go, and I still like to do a lot of things, but sometimes days will go by when I don’t leave the house and I’m ok with that.

Vanessa Williams is the author of A simply good life where she explores how lower standard of living doesn’t mean lower quality of life. After her decision to  get off the beaten track and forge new paths she has found that living with less actually means living with more. Vanessa explores the luring and dangerous grounds of the consumerism trap and offers a solemn and wise account of her real life experiences on the quest to finding what truly matters in life. Connect to Vanessa via twitter and facebook.