5 Simple Living Lessons From My Newborn- Motherhood Series

As I sit to write this article with my newborn sleeping on my lap, I can’t help but wonder about the last few months. To say that motherhood has changed my very existence is an understatement. But then, I guess, such an overwhelming shift is an integral part of this season of life. Among all things, I am getting more and more fascinated with all the new lessons that I am garnering during this time. And I am not talking about important skills like changing a diaper or burping my baby. I am learning about life itself from my baby. And this includes simple living.

“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.”
Angela Schwindt

Yes, I am definitely getting simple living lessons from my nugget. To me, these are like reminders about things I already knew but was perhaps beginning to forget.

So, in today’s article, let’s take a look at 5 invaluable simple living lessons from my newborn. Hope you find something worthwhile in them as I do.

1. Express Emotions Simply

One of the reasons why I was initially attracted to simple living was the freedom it offered from the extras. This included the permission to express my emotions as they were. However, over the years, I had begun to forget this very important tenet of my simple living journey. Modern life does take its toll on us by dictating what is socially acceptable. And emotions have a very specific place in that diktat.

We often mask what we feel. Many of us are conditioned to think that showing our raw emotions is not the classy thing to do. But why?

Have you seen a baby cry? They simply do not care what others make of that outburst. Babies just let you know how they feel. And we don’t think any less of them because of that.

But as a grown-up, we rarely express our emotions so openly and yet expect others to understand exactly how we feel.

2. Live in the Moment

To practice simple living, one must learn to live in the present moment. And who does that better than babies? They literally live for the present. Now, we cannot be exactly like them when it comes to not worrying about the past or future. However, we can surely learn a thing or two from them in this regard.

3. Form Genuine Connections

Adulthood is fraught with pretense. We might dislike this but we cannot ignore this truth. But our lives are not always this way. As babies, our relationships are always genuine. Babies do not know how to fake emotions and thus their affections or the lack thereof, are true. However, as we grow up, we learn to disguise and pretend. This practice extends to our everyday relationships. And while some of this behavior is necessary, we often find ourselves in a quagmire we would rather be not.

Hence, this is one important intentional simple living practice that I aspire to learn from my infant.

4. Be Curious

Let’s be honest. Kids are some of the most curious beings out there. They find even the most ordinary things fascinating. Their capability to explore and question definitely makes them see the world around them differently. With age, we lose this penchant for wonder and that is just sad. The world doesn’t cease to be interesting. Instead, we become easily bored.

Simple living requires being intentional. And what could be more intentional than being curious about everyday, ordinary things?

5. Eat Well, Sleep Well and Exercise Well

This one goes without saying. Granted, kids eat what we give them. And sleep is not always their forte. But I am focusing more on the intent here. A baby’s health and growth depend largely on them eating, sleeping, and exercising well. While as adults these aren’t the only three things that we do every day, they do form a considerable chunk of our well-being.

Related Read: How Simple Living Saved Me

Making healthy choices is paramount to living a fulfilling life, not just simple living. And we can learn this from the little ones in our lives.