One of the most amazing things about Aidan is his laser focus. Since he was a very young boy, he’s had this incredible ability to give hours of his attention to something he loves. Whether it’s a game he loves, or a toy he’s obsessed with, or a cause and effect activity, a goal he has, reaching something he shouldn’t, getting into something you’d rather he didn’t, or something beautifully creative like water play and painting, his focus is absolute!
Aidan was captivated by my parent’s house from the time he was a baby. I think it’s because it was free of pets, filled with light, had lots of corridors to play in, plenty of rooms to explore, a huge garden with a water feature, and lovely long baths. I mention the bathtubs because that’s where we’d always end up on our meanderings. As soon as I popped him into it, he would go about trying to put the plug into the plug hole. It was slightly tricky, because you needed to get the central spoke through a centrally located hole in the drain, so when you brought the plug close to it, you couldn’t really see what you were doing anymore. It was a simple task for an adult, and easy enough to judge where to bring the plug down to ensure correct contact, but it was a marvellous challenge for Aidan.
When not on the move, Aidan was repetitively opening and closing doors in their home, or trying to climb the stairs. But once he discovered the bathtub and the plug hole, that’s where he wanted to spend all his time! It was quite a peaceful interest for us parents, who were used to taking it in turns to eat at the lunch table, while the other dashed around behind Aidan, ensuring he didn’t break any of the expensive nicknacks dotted around the house. It was nice just to be able to sit awhile, albeit in the bathroom, and observe our little cub figuring it out!
His level of concentration genuinely astounded me. He wouldn’t become frustrated if he failed to pop the plug down in the correct place, he simply tried again. And again. And again. In fact we’d usually have to terminate this beloved activity to many tears of protestation when it came time to leave. And each time we came back for a visit, off to the bathroom he would go! Even once he’d mastered popping the plug in correctly, he’d take it out and do it over and over again. If he failed at one or two attempts, he’d just keep trying. We used to laugh at the single-mindedness of it, and we still haven’t quite agreed on who Aidan most takes after. Monty says it’s me, because I am keenly focused on all of my objectives in life. And I say it’s Monty, because there’s a level of stubbornness there that is all his father!
I often find myself musing over what Aidan might do with this intense focus one day. How will it serve his hobbies and interests? What job might benefit from a young man who is going to get it right, no matter how much troubleshooting it takes? I hope to see him succeed in his chosen career some day! Because as his mama I will know that all of his most brilliant attributes began when he was just a little boy, honing his skills with patience and dedication, at the bottom of a white ceramic bathtub.
