Originally published in The Nome Nugget, Summer 1995
Toddlers experience everything in the first person. Mommy is theirs, Daddy is theirs, toys are all theirs, and other points of view aren’t understood. Toddlers sense the world with their mouths, hands, and bodies and it takes great patience, strength, and physical endurance to meet their needs lovingly. The power of toddlers is even presented as a great force in the second of the movies in the Star Wars trilogy, “The Empire Strikes Back.”
In that movie,” Obi One-Kenobi tells Luke Skywalker to travel to the Dagobah System of planets to look for Yoda, a Jedi Master, who will complete Luke’s training to become a Jedi Knight. When Luke runs into Yoda, Yoda challenges the boy’s patience and readiness to become a Knight with a difficult, demanding test.
Does Yoda use a lightsaber and challenge Luke to a bloody duel? No. Does Yoda engage in hand-to-hand combat and try Luke’s physical endurance? No. Does Yoda use sorcery to conjure up images of great evil to test Luke’s courage? Nope. Yoda poses as the most patience-testing warrior in all the human continuum: he uses the voice, syntax, and curiosity of a two-year-old child.
When Yoda comes up to Luke, grabs his food, and sticks it into his mouth, Luke shouts, “Put that down? Get outta there!” And when Yoda messes with Luke’s gear, Luke yells, “Hey! You could have broken this!” Yoda starts playing in the supply case and Luke says with great weariness, “Ohhh. You’re making a mess!” Yoda then takes Luke’s power lamp and won’t give it back. He fights over it with Luke’s robotic unit, R2D2, yelling, “Mine! Mine! Or I will help you not!” Luke lets him have the power lamp and collapses in disgust. Do any of these interactions have a familiar ring? Toddlerhood is when your parents get their first taste of who you really are under those cute clothes and that winning smile. Did you ever test your parents’ mettle more than when you were a toddler?
Back when Truman was in the White House, my dad took a movie of me and my toddler friend Larry in his backyard. Two-year-old innocent little me kept trying to sit in Larry’s chair, on Larry’s tricycle, and on Larry’s rocking horse. Larry carefully pried my interloping little fingers off each of these items and, when I still didn’t seem to be getting the picture, shoved me to the ground. My father mercifully turned off the camera before the tantrums started.
We need to appreciate the parents in town who have toddlers right now. Appreciate how much energy they must use every single day to feed, dress, guide, and make things safe for their children. This is a full time job here. Few breaks and fewer pats on the back. It may be a short period in a child’s life but it takes the stamina and skills of a Jedi Master to train these budding Luke and Leia Skywalkers of Nome. Parents need our love, courage, and respect just as much as the children do.
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