My daughter is learning to crawl. Try as she might, she just can’t get it so far. She strains and grunts and stretches and rolls to no avail. Eventually, she gets frustrated and fusses.

I don’t know what innate urge compels parents to speak to their infant children as if they understand the meanings of the words, but I have that urge. I tell her to keep trying, and sometimes I even try to put her in a “starting” position.

Eventually, she’ll get it. What’s interesting is that she will have to experience the struggle before she can make the transition. Even more interesting is that she will go through the struggles without question, accepting it as a part of her existence while continually striving to learn new skills.