> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.mbi-deepdives.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # What can I learn from my 20-month-old son? - URL: https://www.mbi-deepdives.com/learning_from_son/ - Published: 2026-09-06T15:03:05.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-06T15:03:05.000Z - Author: MBI Deep Dives - Tags: Sunday **Programming Note**: As a reminder, every Sunday, I write pieces that are predominantly based on personal experiences which may or may not be loosely connected with investing. If you are reading MBI Deep Dives everyday, I think it would be rather useful for my readers to understand my personal lens a bit better since that presumably affects (at least in some capacity) the way I analyze businesses as well. --- A couple of months ago, I stumbled onto this [reel](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXEXt2Zk7Dd/?stkn=YzAyMDM1MGJkZA%3D%3D&ref=mbi-deepdives.com) on Instagram. It was a clip from a conversation between Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt and an Indian guru who is widely known as “Sadhguru”. It went like this: > **Alia Bhatt:** I’m a mother to a three-and-a-half-year-old, and she’s the joy of my life. But I’m so worried at all times. What would your one advice to a parent who is worried if they’re being a good parent be? > > **Sadhguru:** A worried parent is not a good parent. \[Laughter\] See, when you have a child, first thing is, drop this idea that you have to teach something. I know you’re a wonderful woman, but between you and your three-and-a-half-year-old, what’s her name? > > **Alia Bhatt:** Raha. > > **Sadhguru:** Raha. Between you and her, who is more joyful? > > **Alia Bhatt:** She. > > **Sadhguru:** Who should be a consultant for life? > > **Alia Bhatt:** She. > > **Sadhguru:** Then what’s there for you to teach? You must listen. You must watch. You must see how a child is, because a child is far closer to life than you are. > > **Alia Bhatt:** So your advice to me would be, you don’t give her any advice, you take from her. > > **Sadhguru:** You must learn how to be life because she is just life. Since then, I have often thought about this reel, especially during my daily ritual of 10,000 steps. I have a 20-month-old son myself and the more I pondered it, the more I leaned toward Sadhguru’s point that there is indeed more to learn about life from observing your child. So, I kept thinking about my son and how he goes through the day. When I think about my son’s sources of joy, they are usually quite simple. He wants to be surrounded by family members and the people he sees every now and then. The warmth and affection of family and acquaintances are natural sources of joy for him. He also seems to be a big proponent of the “touch grass” movement as he’s quite insistent on going outside for a walk or to library. Every time he sees an airplane or a bird, he will let you know about it. When he’s inside the house, he’s always tinkering and poking around things that he comes across. If any inanimate object is lying around the house, he will be the first person to explore it and figure out what to do with it. Observing any child closely can help you appreciate what exactly the phrase “childlike curiosity” means and how profoundly almost every adult lacks it. It’s also easy to tell that my son is not looking to get anything out of such experimenting or poking around inanimate objects. He just wants to vaguely grasp “what is this thing”. Sometimes he finds the thing interesting enough to play with it or do something with it, and sometimes he just moves onto something else with no sign of disappointment. The whole point seems to be just exploring everything he can get his hands on. He also likes music. Sometimes he keeps playing while trying to hum along to whatever is on. He clearly observes us and pays attention to what we are doing. He at times comes to me and insists pressing keys on my laptop in a wayward manner, with a mischievous smile on his face. When I am drinking tea or coffee, he demands we offer the same to him and no, it cannot be in his bottle. He wants it in the same cup or mug as we do. It’s amazing how persistent and strong-willed a kid can be. If my son REALLY wants me to do something, he’s the clear favorite in that tussle. He knows how to get what he wants even with a handful of vocabulary at his disposal. A strong vocal cord is apparently all you need to bend the world to your will. Technology also sits much more naturally in a kid's world. He’s not surprised or shocked by what phones, laptops, TVs, airplanes, or trains can do. He seems much more interested in just understanding “what is this” and if the thing turns out to be very interesting, he wants to dig in further. He is currently in his train phase, and when he’s not playing with his “chu-chu” trains, he wants me to show him photos and videos we took while taking a couple of trains around California. He’s never just sitting around a sofa or idly thinking about something. He’s always moving…either playing with something, or just randomly running around the house and laughing about it. The sound of his laughter is truly a limitless source of joy for me. And sometimes, of course, he's crying his heart out because we are not doing what he wants. He gets tired after moving all the time and goes for a nap when the exhaustion sinks in. Perhaps it really is this simple. Wake up, poke around and tinker with things, laugh about it, be strong-willed when you really want something, go outside to get some fresh air, wonder and wander aimlessly, come back to a shelter that truly feels like home, and just keep moving until your eyes are about to give up. He is not trying to teach me any of this, of course. He is just living. Whatever there is to learn depends entirely on whether I am paying attention. --- *Subscribers get the daily journal and five+ years of Deep Dives, i.e. full-length analyses with financial models on* [***65+***](https://www.mbi-deepdives.com/models/) *companies. The daily is just how I think out loud between the Deep Dives!* [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) --- **Disclaimer:* All posts on “MBI Deep Dives” are for informational purposes only. This is NOT a recommendation to buy or sell securities discussed. Please do your own work before investing your money.*