Dear Gabriel

Dear Gabriel:

I need your help!  I'm a new mom and I'm having trouble figuring out some of my baby son's behavior.  He whines when he eats his solid food - does he not like the taste or am I not feeding him fast enough?  He's stopped sleeping through the night - is he teething, or going through a growth spurt, or adjusting to our new routine because I've gone back to work?

Thanks,

Your Mother in Sultan, WA

That's right Gabe, this is your mother.  I want you to know that I'm very proud of you for having your own column, but you're still in trouble for getting a job without asking your father and I first.

Hi Mom!

Now that you know about my column, can I have my own laptop?  Haha, just kidding.  Unless you'd really let me have my own laptop??

Actually, they told us in our "first time baby/first time parents" class in heaven that our parents would have trouble correctly interpreting all of our behaviors and noises.  For a really long time.  

A really, really, really long time. 

But they assured us that our parents would be trying hard to figure us out, so our job was to keep communicating, even when we felt like giving up and just crying all the time.  

The funny part is (not ha-ha funny, ironic funny), even though I have superb command of the written word at this early stage of my life, we were also instructed in heaven not to inform our parents in writing of how we feel or what we're trying to say.

Trust me Mom, that direction was as frustrating and seemingly ridiculous to me as I'm sure it is to you.  But are YOU going to tell God that to His face?  Exactly.  Which is why all the babies in the class looked confused but just nodded in assent.  He went on to explain that parents and babies learning from each other using only the basics of communication (facial expressions and tone of vocalizations) is part of what seals the bond between them.  Makes complete sense!  And you thought God's directions were silly at first.  tsk tsk.  I know I am playing with fire by teasing you in my column...after all, you're the one with all the embarassing pictures of me.

You may wonder why I'm allowed to explain all the above but I'm not allowed to just write you a note about what I'm thinking or feeling when I whine or cry.  When I got your "Dear Gabriel" letter, I felt that printing and responding to it would be of value to all the new babies and new parents out there.  So I asked God about it and He said okay.  I don't think He's going to be thrilled about my teasing you - I think I'm dancing on the border of not honoring my mother and father a little here - but I know God has a sense of humor (have you seen how my hair's growing in?  He for sure has a sense of humor!) so I'm just going to go with it.

Mom, don't worry...we'll figure each other out.  You're doing a great job so far (I smile and laugh and I'm chubby...so obviously you're doing something right)!

Love you,

Gabriel