If you talk to a child development expert about how to best prepare your child for school, they would give you the advice of keeping a running commentary on what you are doing so that your child will have a well-developed vocabulary by the time that they enter kindergarten. Success in kindergarten=success in life. At least that is their theory.
I have ascribed to their theory pretty much since Asher was born. I would talk to him about everything that I was doing. Grill him on color, numbers and letters. The result? I now have a kid that talks about EVERYTHING. Not just what he wants to do, but about the chair and the mirror on the wall and Lucy's poo-poo and how he wants to watch The Wiggles. The Wiggles, wiggles mommy wiggles mommy. Until it completely exhausts me and I give in just because my ears can take listening to the Wiggles as long as Asher gives his vocal cords and my ears a break for twenty minutes.
Wanna know what happens?
Asher talks about the Wiggles the entire time it is on our television. He will say, "Oh NO!" and I say, "What?! What is it?" in a very panicky voice because what two-year old yells out "OH NO!" Then he responds in a very despondent voice, "Jeff fell asleep again!"
Then today, he got very upset because he wanted them to be singing a different song than the one that they were singning. And he kept insisting to me over and over again that they needed to sing, "Toot Toot Chugga Chugga" instead of whatever the crap it was. Seriously, he does not stop talking from the minute he wakes up until he goes to sleep. He actually told me to "scoot over" today. And it is all in his two-year old voice so it sounds like, "coot ova mommy!" And it is very demanding.
The solution?
I have no idea. When he talks like a person, I love it. When he just repeats everything a hundred times over like Rain Man, I just want to run out of the house screaming. Or give him whatever he want immediately so he will stop saying, "Apple. Apple mommy, mommy apple. Want apple. Apple please. Please apple. Apple mommy. Green apple. NO! Red apple. Green apple. Red Apple. Apple bowl mommy. Mommy no cut. No CUT IT MOMMY. Cut apple Apple. Apple mommy." And so on until I shove the said apple in his face and he is quiet until the apple is done. Then some other topic of conversation dominates.
Ahhh. Deep breath. I remember when I was so excited for him to start talking.
1 comment:
I've got a talker too with Peter. Maybe it's in our genes??? Oh, brother. That kid talks my ear off constantly and I know just what you mean about wanting to run out of the house screaming sometimes. Of course, I'm SO glad that he has a great vocabulary and speaks very intelligently. Often, I'm reminded of how lucky I am when you see other people who have kids that rarely talk or deal with speech impediments.
Although I see that Sarah is often fighting to get a word in edge-wise. She'll go like, "Scuse me....scuse me....scuse me... Mommy! NO Peter! It's my turn!"
Just imagine--you'll have twice the conversation when Lucy starts to chime in too!
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