You're not fooling me anymore
This morning, the boy was eating his breakfast (or rather, his "pancake sasach") while I was getting my own breakfast ready. The entire time I was getting my bowl, getting some cereal, milk, etc., he was talking. Admittedly, I wasn't paying all that much attention. I was tired, and let's be honest: he talks a lot. I appreciate that he talks a lot, and I think it's fantastic for his development and such, but I can't keep up with his toddler mind. He jumps from topic to topic so quickly and randomly, it's way too hard for me to follow before 7 am.
As I sat down, I heard him say something like "napkins help?"
"I'm sorry, but daddy doesn't have any idea what you're talking about."
"Talkin bout George. Pancakes. NOOOO! Made it worse!"
The translation of that is that he was talking about the book, Curious George Makes Pancakes. As I thought back to what parts of what he was saying that I did catch, I realized that he was basically reciting the book. There's a part where George gets sticky with syrup and the narrator asks "George wondered, would these napkins help him get clean?" Then on the next page, it says, "No! They only made it worse!" When we read it to him, we always over emphasize the "no," and he copied it perfectly.
He recites books all the time, but it occurred to me that I said "I don't know what you're talking about," and he replied appropriately. I didn't ask him a question, there was nothing in my tone to indicate that I was seeking a response. He understood me.
"You blew your cover, boy," I said. "No more ignoring me when I tell you to do something or ask you a question."
He pretended to not know what I was saying as he kept eating.
Comments
glo said:
Okay. I've said this before and I'll keep saying it: That's a dang smart kid. Not only does he have an incredible vocab for his age, but he understood an abstract story, interpreted it, applied it to context, and held an appropriate conversation hours later. So, unless the wife was sitting there reading Curious George to your 1-year-old at the time - that kid is DANG SMART. You better buckle your seat belt.
cadiz12 said:
intonation is key. your kid knows what to pick up on.
for months we thought my brother could read at a very young age, until we realized he'd just memorized several books and knew when to turn the pages. i'm telling you, when they start out that clever, they only just get more tricky.
Becky said:
wow. you are so lucky.
Radioactive Sasach said:
I'm absconding with that word. Seriously.
demosthenes said:
I think the real sign of progression here is not that he understands you, but that he said "NOOOO!" instead of "NUUUH!"
Lia said:
I'm enjoying his development from afar. That's just so cuuuuute!