I love, love observing the kids learn language. I never tire of their new phrases, this window into their developing minds. Geekybaby wants so much to convey his thoughts. "Mummy head" he says, patting me on the hair, at least ten times a day. And this evening "Bye Bye Tub" he said, waving as I took him out of the bath!
Geekygirl, and three and a half now, surprised me in a new way last weekend. She loves to talk, and has a rich and varied vocabulary, but on a walk back from the lake with friends last weekend I realized how much of the conversation going on around her that she understands. My friend and I were discussing the vacations we took growing up, she escaping the heat of Phoenix for milder San Diego, I escaping British rain for French sun. Both enduring long car trips. We bantered our experiences back and forth, listening, laughing, and recognizing common threads in our experience.
As we chatted, oblivious to the kids sitting in their strollers, Geekygirl piped in "It was really hot in South Africa, and that is a long way away too". I was suddenly aware that my little girl listens to everything that goes on around her. I was impressed that she was able to come up with such a relevant experience, our recent vacation, to share. There is such a strong human desire to connect through conversation, I suppose, since that is what our relationships are founded upon. It was lovely to see in Geekygirl this desire to join in our conversation. She sounded so serious and adult, confident in her statement and its appropriateness.
Lovely this may be, and I look forward to many conversations in the future, but for now I must also remember that little ears are always listening when we least expect it!
2 comments:
My daughter picks up a lot on what we say too. She is like a sponge these days. I tell my husband to watch his temper when he is driving. She doesn't need to start saying those colorful things!
It is amazing, isn't it. The other day Ansel was mad at Dave and told him he was "sick and twisted" Not sure where he picked that one up, but it stuck with him. They are little sponges, but I've also had to remind myself and Dave that they don't always get context or intonation so even in jest, we need to be mindful of what we are saying.
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