Little did I know when I posted an entry on small children that I would receive 'hate mail'. Well, comments having a mild go at me anyway. The general feeling was that I was out of order. That I shouldn't be so horrible about children. They're lovely and if they become too much of a focus either it's the parents' fault, or my fault for feeling insecure at not being the centre of attention. Not the child though.
I am a teacher. Of children. Crucially though the children I teach (and enjoy working with to be honest) can all talk. They say things of value and of no value. They are, in my eyes, able to earn their place at the centre of attention and well done to them. They're not just sitting, standing or toddling there chewing on something, they're making their first steps along the road to full human interaction. Or some other such nonsense. Importantly, you don't see groups of grown people gazing at them gormlessly. You see groups of grown adults interacting with them. That's the difference.
Today I held a baby. He's about 2-3 weeks old I think (although he seems to have been around a lot longer than that). He sat there in my arms sucking on a dummy (or pacifier I believe they're called now...possibly) and did nothing. Nothing. There was no one else around unfortunately to test my theory, but if there had of been I bet everyone would have stopped what they were doing and just looked at him. "Oh look! Karl's holding the baby now! I wonder what it's going to do when Karl's holding it?!?" The same as it does when anyone else is holding it. Obviously.
Babies and small children are lovely, wonderful bundles of joy that bring happiness to the world. But they're not interesting enough to justify Baby Gazing that's all.
This is of course my opinion, and does not at all reflect on the wonderfulness of small children. We should all go out and make lots of them so we Gaze forever more...