Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
At the age of 1, most babies are still months (maybe years!) away from mastering the art of walking up stairs, but 1-year-old Ellie Farmer is already making her way up the walls -- of a rock climbing gym, that is. Probably because her parents have been taking her there since she was 2 weeks old!
It's pretty remarkable stuff -- so remarkable, in fact, that Ellie and her mom and dad made an appearance on The Ellen Show to talk about how the little girl got her start climbing (and to demonstrate her very impressive skills). Seems her parents are big climbers themselves -- a part of the "climbing community," as they call it -- and they started bringing Ellie along when she was just a newborn. They showed her how to feel the rocks when she was 6 months old, and by the time she was 8 months old, she'd already progressed to climbing -- she even has a little rock wall next to her crib at home! Now, at 20 months, she's practically a pro. And while she doesn't wear a harness while she climbs, she does wear padded clothing, and her parents spot her at all times.
I know -- as a parent I feel like the idea almost makes me break out into a cold sweat, but I believe the parents when they say she's very well supervised. (They appear to be diligent types.) Plus, the kid actually seems to have a pretty good idea of what she's doing! Check it out:
See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.
Crazy, right? But she clearly LOVES climbing -- see how she lit up when she saw that wall?? Because before that, she was definitely not into the experience of being in front of a live studio audience. Yeah, I'm on The Ellen Show, WHATEVS.
More from The Stir: Rock Climbing While Pregnant Is a Really Bad Idea
It's really fascinating to see what kids can do when they're not afraid. Obviously Ellie's parents have no qualms about climbing, so they didn't project any fear onto their daughter -- none of the "Be careful, you're gonna fall!" so many of us are guilty of yelling at our kids. And look at the result: A 1-year-old already capable of reaching great heights! (That's sort of a metaphor, you get it?)
Image via TheEllenShow/YouTube
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
