I forgot to post Emma’s results from the 1st-birthday tradition we do. A friend told me about a Japanese tradition where objects representing different professions are displayed in a row, and the brand-new 1-year-old is directed to choose one. I’m sure there are specific items to use if we want to be authentic to the tradition, but both times we’ve done this, we’ve just run around the house finding whatever we could to represent as wide a variety of professions possible.
For Emma, we laid out:
- money: for a financial career — or stumbling into wealth some other way
- a pen: for writing
- a calculator: for mathematics
- a ball: for athletics
- a paintbrush: for the arts
- a book of sheet music: for a musical career
- a wooden spoon: for a culinary career
- a toy stethoscope: for a career in medicine
Before I had even finished gathering and displaying all the items, Emma laid eyes on the ball and started fighting to get out of the arms of whoever was unfortunate enough to be holding her at that moment.
Once released, she exhibited absolutely no hesitation as she headed straight for the ball. She didn’t even glance at the music or pen (quiet sob), and she had no interest in choosing wealth. Guess we’ll have to provide for our own selves in our old age.
Interestingly enough, her sister went for the same thing on her first birthday. Future Serena and Venus Williams?
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Next time use a baseball mitt or cleats. Something not so much immediate fun. Who wouldn’t look at all that junk and go for a ball that is familiar and already knows it is fun.
I look forward to attending their sports games one day!!
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