when adults pay attention to children losing attention.
The baby, assailed by eyes, ears, nose, skin, and entrails at once, feels it all as one great blooming, buzzing confusion…. -William James, The Principles of Psychology
I love the following chart of infant and toddler play patterns, from Louise Bates Ames and Frances L. Ilg’s Your One-Year-Old: The Fun-Loving, Fussy 12-To 24-Month-Old. It shows the attention span at eighteen months, when a child zips from one toy to the next in a web of activity and exploration. Then, it shows the progression to four years, when a child concentrates on just one or two toys.
Something is lost in this transition — a kind of blur of possibility, of interconnection and imagination. But something is gained as well — a newfound sense of purpose, concentration, and focus.
To keep both modes available within yourself — is that the life fully lived?
