Monroeville Mall: The home of my first foray into taxed, paid employment. Also the place where I perfected the art of people watching. During my breaks, I would often sit and watch the people go by. My own imaginary stories about these folks were kept to a minimum. I really just liked to sit quietly and watch.

I realized just yesterday that being a parent is the ultimate people watching experience.

Some things that I have observed so far:

The “I’m pooping” face

Learning to build a block tower

Unrequited(!) love of our cat

Independent ‘reading’

Chewing and spitting out food

Boogers

Learning to put on socks

Finding out where one’s head is (and properly identifying it when asked)

No teeth…in a 1 year old

Chewing on toys meant for the cat (catnip isn’t super bad for kids, right?)

Waving

Shrieks of delight

Screams of annoyance

Wearing one’s first scarf (I admit to helping with the second loop)

Tracing the origins of my observational behavior back into my ass-sitting past, helps me realize why I like watching and not always intervening. When I intervene, I invariably change the trajectory of my kid’s behavior. Sometimes, as when she is repeatedly flushing the toilet, this is a necessity, but plenty of other times, she can fail and learn and try again without me telling her to.

It’s fun to see what she comes up with and how pleased she is with herself when she figures something out. At this point in her life, she’s built to solve problems on her own. Her capacity for patience and perseverance rival mine on my best days.

I didn’t know that becoming a parent would turn me into a professional observer of people…or more rightly, one particular person. But I’m willing to take up this mantle and become the best person watcher I can be.