I cared for children before I had children.
But after becoming a mother, I understood some things differently. Not perfectly, but more deeply.
I became more aware of age
What a toddler can understand. What a preschooler can tolerate. What an older child might be embarrassed by.
Before my boys, I knew children developed in stages the way you know anything from a textbook. Raising three of them, I watched it happen: what each age can do, what it can't, and how quickly that changes. Knowing that made it so much easier to meet each child in my clinic where they actually are.
I became more aware of mood
A scared cry is different from a tired cry. A hungry child is different from a shy child.
Before, a crying child in my exam chair was simply a crying child. Now I can usually tell what kind of crying it is, and that changes everything about what happens next. A scared child needs explanation. An exhausted child needs speed, simplicity, and a parent's arms. To get into a child's heart, you need to know their mood first.
This doesn't mean a doctor must be a parent to care for children well. Many excellent pediatric clinicians are not. But every life experience that helps us see a child more clearly can make us better at this work.
Children are always communicating
Even before they use words. Sometimes we have to learn how to listen before the words come.
My boys were my teachers. They still are, every day, whether I ask for the lesson or not.
Educational writing, not a substitute for medical advice.