My daughter Addison is finally here, and she’s teh cuteness.

My past two weeks have been consumed with fetching her things, staring at her slack-jawed, and trying everything I can think of to get her to stop crying.

I’ve never been this in love. It’s ridiculous. As sleep-deprived and frustrated as I get, I’ll still look down at her after a long night, and my heart just falls out from under me. She’s amazing. I’d kill for her. I’m rearranging my life around hers, and I’m not thinking twice about it.

It makes me wonder why we hate noobs.

The fact is, she has no idea how to keep herself alive. And what she does know, she can’t do for herself. She depends on me to show her how the world works and help her navigate it.

And we’ve all been there.

In life, as in games, we regularly find ourselves in spots where we’re out of our league, and we need help. We need grace, not scorn. We need patience, not judgment.

How pathetic would I be if I laughed in Addie’s face when she sucked on her thumb? “LOLZ n00b you cant get milk from thumb EATING FAIL”

What do we expect? Everyone starts out as as newbie. You used to be one, too.

And guess what? You still are now. Everyone’s a noob at something. I’m learning how to be a pastor; my friend is learning how to be social; my daughter is learning how to sleep.

So next time you’re on Xbox Live or WOW and someone pipes up with a dumb question, try stifling the snide comment and giving them an answer instead.

Show some grace. Be helpful. Love a noob.

What have your newbie experiences been like? Have you found helpful people? Or have you been mocked for your innocent ignorance?