The world is your oyster & the trash bags are your Kids

I finally just got it, revelation. Yesterday morning I was up extra early as my husband and baby slept in. I began thinking of how my daughter might feel in certain situations. On thanksgiving, we were at our neighbors' home, who have a girl Harmony's age. Rose (the mom) was talking about how often our babies bump their heads on things, tables, shelves, floors etc... and how they are so resilient to just get up and seem like it's all fine and go on playing. Rose bumped her own head and said how much it hurt, and how she felt so bad for the baby because she does it all day long, but we are not as resilient, I suppose. Rose went on to wonder how the babies must feel having no clue what is going to happen next on any given day. They go wherever we take them without knowing where they are going, they have to wait until WE decide to bathe them, they have almost no choice of what they will eat next, they just live moment to moment, waiting to see what's next and trusting US to take care of EVERYTHING, trusting that we will do what's good for them. While thinking of this, I recalled a line from a Beck song that 2 of my friends in high school were always writing on things and trying to explain to me. I just never could understand exactly what they meant by it. "The world is your oyster and the trash bags are your kids." I live in the oyster, I can do whatever I please with my life, with my personal world -- that part I got, but the kids part? It made me feel like they were calling kids trash... but now that I have a kid of my own who copies everything I do, I finally GET IT! A child is like a trash bag, completely new and empty, waiting to be filled up, to be taught how to live in this world. I can fill up my empty child with whatever I want to teach her!!!! Whatever I would like her to know or become, I have the ability to influence her in any direction I wish, and of course the entire rest of the world around her will influence and try to fill her with knowledge and beliefs contrary to mine or her fathers'. She will choose how to live in her own personal oyster, how to live her own life and be who she wants and follow her own path, based on the myriad of influences, choices, and lifestyles. It is so interesting to observe our families and to see how varied each child can be in his or her lifestyle or path, although we come from the same parents. For instance my sister and I are on an opposite spectrum as far as how we view the world and how we live our lives; our styles, our clothes, our music, our interests are so very different, yet we lived together under the same set of guidelines with the same adults "filling us up" with their ideas and perspectives for about 16 years. We also had different friends, teachers and other outside influences whom shaped our views and shifted our paths. Watching my baby grow and develop to a stage in which she now repeats my words, songs, actions, mannerisms etc... is so amazing as I realize more and more how largely we shape and impact those around us. I think that currently, my favorite part of her mimicking me is the fact that she loves giving kisses all day, and says "NICE" and "COOL" about things she likes, as well as "HI" to every stranger that passes her by. She is an expressive, loving, caring, friendly, sweet, funny, charismatic, energetic, smiley, music-making, dance machine with a magnetic personality! I could ask for no more from my little trash bag :)