Read

How Parenthood Awakened My Sense of Wonder

Published:
January 9, 2024
June 15, 2019
Through-the-Eyes-of-a-Child|Through-the-Eyes-of-a-Child-Square

A few weeks ago, a clip of Mr. Rogers singing his classic song “Did You Know," stopped me in my tracks:

Did you know? Did you know?
Did you know that it's all right to wonder?
Did you know that it's all right to wonder?
There are all kinds of wonderful things!
Did you know? Did you know?
Did you know that it's all right to marvel?
Did you know that it's all right to marvel?
There are all kinds of marvelous things!

For days afterwards, I couldn’t seem to get the song — and its captivating questions — out of my head. It turns out I wasn’t the only one who was mesmerized: Google used Rogers’ song in a commercial for its new Pixel 3 phone — and was granted permission to do so, given the thematic connection with the song’s content.

Wonder doesn’t always come easily to me, now that I’m into my adult years. But being a parent is transforming me and helping me see the world in a new way.

My young daughters seem primed for the world’s delights. “LOOK!” they shout, in their impossibly tiny, high-pitched voices. “LOOK at the sunrise! LOOK, it’s SO beautiful!” There was a period of a month, when my oldest daughter was a toddler, when the sight of her own toes popping out from under a blanket made her shout with glee. She would say a slow, deliberate “woooww” at the sight of sun streaming through a window, the way a light switches on and off, the impossible pleasure of cold ice cream on a finally-warm spring day.

Brandi Carlile, in her gorgeous song called “The Mother,” sings these words about her daughter and I cannot help but feel they are true for me as well:

Oh, but all the wonders I have seen, I will see a second time
From inside of the ages through your eyes

All the wonders I have seen, I will see a second time. A sun-streaked sky, the marvel of electricity, their first sight of the world below out the window of an airplane. Look, Mommy, my daughters say to me. Look at the flowers. Look at the sky. Look at us. Look and see and behold and be amazed.

One of the great gifts of parenthood — for me, at least — has been rediscovering my own sense of wonder. Perhaps this is why Rogers’ song struck such a cord. It caused me to reflect: Do I really know that it’s “all right to wonder”? Or have I become numb with age? Have I forgotten about the “all kinds of wonderful, marvelous things”? This is one of the ways my daughters are transforming me. They are reminding me to see.

Mary Oliver, in her oft-quoted poem “The Summer Day,” writes:

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day…

Could it be that wonder, itself — or the art of paying attention with curiosity and gratitude — is a form of prayer? That when we truly notice the surprising delights of our existence, we are standing in God’s presence?

It is, indeed, all right — and, perhaps, even holy — to wonder. It is all right to marvel, to notice, to pay attention. This week, may we take time to wonder. May we come to behold the world’s delights. And, in doing so, may we find ourselves changed — primed for gratitude and awe. Primed to see.

Creators:
Erin Ramsey-Tooher
Published:
January 9, 2024
June 15, 2019
On a related note...
5 Paintings That Have Shaped My Understanding of God

5 Paintings That Have Shaped My Understanding of God

Maureen O'Brien

One Millennial’s Journey Toward Zero-Waste Living

One Millennial’s Journey Toward Zero-Waste Living

Jessie McCartney

Podcast Tells the Stories of Palestinian Christian Women Behind the Wall

Podcast Tells the Stories of Palestinian Christian Women Behind the Wall

Grotto

You Can Help the Homeless by Giving Your Time — and a Listening Ear

You Can Help the Homeless by Giving Your Time — and a Listening Ear

Mary Grace Mangano

St. Vincent de Paul Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

St. Vincent de Paul Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

Grotto

Amy Biehl's Work for Justice in South Africa

Amy Biehl's Work for Justice in South Africa

Evan Holguin

These Sources will Help You Prepare for the Polls

These Sources will Help You Prepare for the Polls

Marye Colleen Larme

6 New Workouts To Change Up Your Routine

6 New Workouts To Change Up Your Routine

Claire Krakowiak

There’s More to a Thrift Shop Than a Great Deal

There’s More to a Thrift Shop Than a Great Deal

Grant Hartley

Welcome to the Neighborhood: Lakeview

Welcome to the Neighborhood: Lakeview

Jennon Bell Hoffmann

The Outgoing Introvert's Survival Guide

The Outgoing Introvert's Survival Guide

Grotto

6 Sustainable Gift Ideas for the Holidays

6 Sustainable Gift Ideas for the Holidays

Lauren Lawson

The Small Art Stuck in this War

The Small Art Stuck in this War

Javi Zubizarreta

Choosing Family over DI Football: A Story of Growth

Choosing Family over DI Football: A Story of Growth

Grotto

How to Share Solidarity with Our Muslim Neighbors Today and Every Day

How to Share Solidarity with Our Muslim Neighbors Today and Every Day

Grotto Shares

These Bike Rides Make a Positive Impact

These Bike Rides Make a Positive Impact

Grotto

An Inside Look at Teaching Service Programs

An Inside Look at Teaching Service Programs

Mary Cunningham

5 Biographies to Read This Women’s History Month

5 Biographies to Read This Women’s History Month

Jessica Mannen Kimmet

This Story Will Make You Think About Life Differently

This Story Will Make You Think About Life Differently

Grotto

My Pandemic Journal is Changing the Way I See the World

My Pandemic Journal is Changing the Way I See the World

Patrick Schmadeke

newsletter

We’d love to be pals.

Sign up for our newsletter, and we’ll meet you in your inbox each week.