Milestones

My 7 month old has been pretty busy lately. Shortly after learning to sit unsupported, I just happened to realize she already had two bottom teeth! The other day, responding to an interesting whine, I found her kneeling in her crib holding on to the crib rails with the "help, I'm stuck" look. Guess which milestone is right around the corner? STANDING! Amazing. Absolutely amazing!

Milestones in development help us gauge how children are growing and moving along developmentally. The word comes from the Latin 'milliarium' and in years past milestones were markers placed along a road at intervals of one mile or at parts of a mile. These milestones provided reference points along the road served to reassure travellers that the proper path was being followed. Today they are still used on roads to indicate either distance travelled or the remaining distance to a destination. Hmmmm.... very interesting.

As children approach a developmental milestone they apply prior motor and sensory experiences and skills acquired in order to master the next one. Adults are no different! The milestones in my life, at times like bumps in the road, teach me and reassure me that I'm moving forward and headed somewhere! I can learn from the past in order to achieve my present goals and excel in the future! The last milestone may have been a big, bumpy one but it's over. I passed it! Like my 7 month old, I will continue to change, ever learning, ever growing, developing into the woman God created me to be.