We like our pediatrician. She’s kind, willing to spend time chatting with us about our concerns, and checks our boy out pretty thoroughly. She’s got a couple of kids herself, which makes the anecdotes that much more heartfelt.

That said, I sometimes take her comments too lightly.

But then, weeks later, I’ll realize what she was talking about.

Last trip, he was just starting to walk. And he’d stumble around, and was learning how to turn. He’d teeter and wobble quite a bit too. She liked his progress and asked if he was walking backwards. We said a bit. Because sometimes, as he stumbled around, he’d take a step or two back. She said that’s great. It’s a phase all kids go through, and its fun.

We just nodded and went on.

Now, a month and a half later, our boy’s walking around backwards. That is, he’ll leave the room backwards. He’s going to places backwards. And he used to turn his head and check often. But it’s gotten less often. He’ll use the door frame to realize that he’s in the hallway and that it is time for him to turn. And now I realize what our doctor was talking about.

So instead of us thinking this boy is nuts, we know it’s just a phase he goes through. Hopefully, it’s helping him build his spatial maps & abilities. But it is probably just a bunch of fun. Tracey Morgan was talking about walking backwards last week on 30 Rock.

She also mentioned, the Goodnight Moon book - and how that was a phase the kids go through too. Saying goodnight to everything. Which was educational for me, because I didn’t realize that was the point of the book, but it makes sense now. Anyway, Sal’s not too into saying good-night or going to bed even. But he is saying good bye to everything on his way out.

Part of it is a stall tactic. Which I guess is also what the book is about. But it’s still cute.

Tags: parenting, walking backwards, goodnight moon