Storytelling: The Toddler and The Glasses - Processing Family

I walked into the home for a routine postpartum visit.

Mom was on the couch — freshly postpartum, legs curled beneath her, surrounded by pillows and the kind of quiet that only comes in the slow days after birth. Dad was holding their newborn daughter, nestled in beside her. The baby was calmly snoozing. The room was soft. I was ready to start our usual postpartum questions...how's your pain today? etc...

And then… toddling in came big brother.

Usually shy. Usually hovering behind someone’s legs. But not today.

Today, he was ready.

Not with words — but with presence.

With focus.

With toddler-style gravity.

He walked straight up to me and claimed my attention like it was owed to him.

And honestly? He was right. His world had changed. He had a story to tell, too. He picked up on my energy enough throughout our prenatal visits, something clicked, he knew I was safe, he knew what I was about. He just had to get his little message across.

So, in true toddler fashion, he stole my glasses.

He put them on sideways — just slightly askew, drooling a little, his hair wild, his grin even wilder. He looked at me through crooked lenses and gave me a fashion show. One pose. Then another. We finally just stopped trying to talk, us adults. We gave him our full attention. And as he posed he debriefed. He broke the tension. He refused to stop until he pulled laughter into the room.

It hit me like a wave: this is what it's really about. This home space in the early days.

A toddler — wild, wise, desperately needing to be seen and decompress.

A mother — raw, open, riding the edge of healing and sometimes barely keeping up.

A father — suspended between responsibilities, doing it all, absorbing it all, processing.

A newborn — bringing the sacred into the center without even trying.

And for one moment, I got to bear witness to the whole ecosystem and be reminded... What it's really all about you know? No blood. No chaos. No clinical heroics. Just… Family. Integration. Expression. The softening that follows the storm.

And preciousness of toddler laughter.

🌱 Family Tree Midwifery

Tending the roots of birth, parenting, womanhood, and working behind the veil — one story at a time. Here, we share real moments, quiet truths, and glimpses of the sacred woven into the everyday.

✨ Written by Randi Payton, LM, CPM — midwife, mother of six, and storyteller with over 21 years experience in the birth world. Randi now guides both mothers and birth workers through virtual circles, courses, and soul-rooted care.💻 www.familytreemidwifery.com