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Smallest Baby Mato Does Not Want to Get Down and Play on the Ground While Mom is Busy
Baby Mato was the tiniest little baby in the whole village. He had chubby little hands, bright round eyes, and a giggle that made everyone smile. But there was one thing about Mato that everyone knew—he never wanted to be put down!
His mother, Amara, loved holding him close, but she also had a lot to do during the day. She needed to cook, wash clothes, and tend to their small garden. But no matter how gently she tried to place Mato on a soft blanket to play, he would immediately cry, reach up with his little hands, and demand to be picked up again.
“Oh, Mato,” Amara sighed one afternoon, trying to stir a pot of soup while bouncing him on her hip. “You are getting so heavy, my little one. Don’t you want to play with your toys on the ground?”
But Mato just buried his tiny face into her shoulder, his little hands clutching her tightly.
Amara smiled at her son. She loved his sweet cuddles, but she needed to finish cooking before the sun went down. She glanced at the woven mat on the floor, where she had placed some of Mato’s favorite toys—a wooden rattle, a soft stuffed elephant, and a colorful set of stacking rings.
“Look, Mato! Your toys are waiting for you,” she said, gently lowering him toward the mat.
The second his tiny toes touched the ground, Mato let out a wail. His face scrunched up, and his little arms flailed as he reached for his mother.
Amara sighed. “Mato, my love, you must learn to play on your own for just a little while.” She kissed his forehead and tried to reassure him, but he was not having it.
Just then, Mato’s older sister, Lila, walked in. She was seven years old and had a big smile that always made Mato giggle.
“What’s wrong with the smallest baby?” Lila asked, kneeling down next to him.
“He doesn’t want to be put down,” Amara said, stirring the soup. “He just wants me to carry him all day.”
Lila grinned and sat on the floor beside Mato. “Mato, do you want to see something fun?” She picked up the stacking rings and started building a little tower. “Look, I made a castle!”
Mato, still sniffling, watched his sister with wide eyes.
Lila giggled and knocked the tower over. The rings scattered across the mat, making a soft clattering sound.
Mato’s lips stopped trembling.
Lila quickly stacked them again. “Watch this!” She clapped her hands and made a funny face before knocking the rings down once more.
Mato blinked, then let out a tiny giggle.
Lila gasped dramatically. “Did you just laugh? Do you want to try?”
She handed him the smallest ring, and to Amara’s surprise, Mato actually reached for it. He held it in his tiny hands, feeling its smooth surface.
Lila clapped. “Yay, Mato! You’re playing!”
Mato looked up at his mother, as if checking to see if this was okay. Amara smiled and gave him an encouraging nod.
Slowly, Mato let go of her shirt and sat back onto the mat. He was still close to Lila, but he was no longer clinging to Amara. Instead, he watched his sister play and even tried to copy her.
Amara sighed in relief. “Thank you, Lila. I think you’ve found the secret to keeping him happy.”
Lila beamed. “He just needed a little fun!”
For the rest of the afternoon, Mato played beside Lila while Amara finished her cooking. Every now and then, Mato would glance up to make sure his mother was still there, but he didn’t cry to be picked up again. He was too busy discovering the joy of stacking and knocking things over.
As the sun set and the air cooled, Amara scooped up Mato and gave him a big kiss on his cheek. “You did so well today, my little one.”
Mato yawned and rested his head against her chest, tired from his big adventure of playing on the ground.
Lila giggled. “Maybe tomorrow he’ll play even longer!”
Amara laughed softly. “Maybe. But no matter what, he’ll always be my smallest baby.”
And that night, as Mato drifted off to sleep, he still held onto one of the stacking rings in his tiny hand—his first little step toward playing on his own.
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