Trivial Pursuits: Watching the light bulb go on

By: 
Jamie Hult/Staff writer
Their eyes light up. You can see the wheels turning and the gears in motion. These are the moments that I live for as a mom: seeing your child grasp a concept or skill for the first time. 
In that moment, it doesn’t matter that millions of children before yours have taken their first steps, read their first words aloud, hit their first ball at bat or turned their first cartwheel on the lawn. The pride you feel is so enormous, it’s as if you’re witnessing that particular thing for the first time in history, you’re the only one to have seen it, and your child is nothing short of a genius. 
I remember the moment my daughter grasped the concept of a joke. For months she’d been trying to tell them, but they came out as random silliness, with disconnected parts and senseless punch lines. I loved her whacky attempts, but it took her a good year of hearing enough knock-knocks and puns to produce one of her own. When she did, I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. 
Last week my 7-year-old mastered the bike without training wheels.  She’d had it in her for a while, I suspect, but seeing the 6-year-old speed demon across the street churn her wheels while walking a Chihuahua gave Greta the push she needed. She’d rejected most attempts to be taught in the past, insisting she knew how to ride a bike; she simply didn’t want to. This was incredibly frustrating for me but in keeping with my daughter’s approach to learning: if it even smacks of difficulty, skip it. 
When Greta finally, finally hopped on and just did it, she was amazed. I was amazed. And relieved. I jogged after her down our street filming the moment with my iPhone.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she said breathlessly. 
Now she wants to ride all the time. I’m waiting for her to plead for the leash, but I’m holding firm. Our puppy, Sherlock, is still mastering out the concept of the walk. Not quite the blind leading the blind, but the nearsighted leading the nearsighted – yes.  
My daughter has inspired me, I must admit. Imagine all the things we could accomplish if we put our minds to it. I mentally run through my bucket list.
Where to start?

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