Quinn’s Infectious Smile

It’s been a little over two years ago since my daughter, who was just two months at the time, inspired me to post a blog entry philosophizing over why humans are not natural born smilers and typically do not begin displaying smiles until about two to three months old. Within these past two years of watching Quinn grow into a toddler, her smiles and giggles have been infectious and often brighten up my day when it’s been hectic or I simply have a lot on my mind. I truly believe that at the tender age of two she understands the power behind a smile and is compassionate and empathetic enough to comfort others when they are frowning to put a smile on their faces.

When she’s sneakily trying to get an extra snack or sticker, she’ll display a big grin in hopes that she can make a fast getaway. There are even times when she is in “no-gotiator” mode (saying no to everything and every request), yet she will still have a smile on her face that is hard to resist. If she sees a disgruntled look on my face, she’ll come up to me with a big smile and wrap her arm around me saying, “What’s wrong, Mommy?”

There truly is something special about her smile. When I think about how much she is learning and how intense it must be for her as a toddler processing so many new experiences and tasks, it warms my heart that she smiles far more than she frowns. As an adult going through my own experiences and tackling multiple tasks, I hope I can continue to take a page from my daughter’s book and smile far more than I frown because there truly is so much for me to be grateful and happy about: my daughter clearly being one of those reasons!

All the best,

Tanya