When our son and his cousin get together something magical happens. His cousin is less than one year older and while a lot of things happen developmentally at that age they really aren’t that far apart. What brings them even closer together now is that my son has recently started walking. His improvement every day is exponential and mystifying. Perhaps it is simply that he devotes 100% of his time and effort on walking that gives him superhuman skill-learning abilities. Whatever it is that makes him progress so quickly I know that his cousin is one aspect of that motivation to learn faster. Whenever his cousin comes over I see his face light up with pure joy.
The same is true for his cousin. His face becomes overtaken by a great big smile, he extends a finger to point at our son while he excitedly stomps his foot and cries “Baby!” They both move quickly toward one another and attempt some form of greeting. They’re not so good at this part yet. His cousin might attempt a hug where our son resorts to poking at eyeballs. Either way, they’re happily in each other’s company and enjoying every minute they’re able to spend together.
So what is this phenomenon of babies with other babies? Why do young children seek out other children? Is it easier for them to see the similarities between themselves and someone their own size? I don’t really have an answer. All I know is that other children seek out our son precisely because of his small size. He’s a baby. Babies seem to love other babies without hesitation or thought. For some of the older children who have had some experience with dolls I suppose a baby is the most life-like doll they’ve ever seen (probably on account of being alive). These thoughts have also lead to increased discussion about providing our son with a sibling. We’ll let him be the baby for a little while longer though.