quote:"I was afrid (sic) to go on the monkey bars when I was in first grade. The teachers where not allowed to hold me. I was afriaed (sic). Then I decided I whould (sic) do it. So I did. And in the end I fell and bumped my head on the pole."
That is tremendously awesome.
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quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson: Shanna, I was going to say "I don't know" -- or maybe rattle off a list of influences that I know have had an effect (including the Charlie and Lola show (and books), but then Sophie just came into the room, staring balefully at a chocolate chip cookie in her hand and intoning, "You have failed me for the last time, cookie. I eat you! But first I will dip you in milk!"
And it occurred to me that maybe we have had something to do with it. *grin* Mainly we play with them -- especially word-heavy roleplay -- a lot, and made a point of never using baby talk or dumbing down our vocabulary. I suspect the same is true of a lot of Hatracker parents, though; the kids on this thread are wonderful. But to be honest, I suspect that most kids are wonderful, and that parents just don't always listen.
Two comments.
First, I've known several children who say things that are very much like the things your darling daughter says. All of them have been girls. My husband and I call them fairy princesses. And while I do not wish to detract from your excellent parenting, I'm fairly convinced that parenting is a fairly minor influence in these types of personality things.
Second, I'm curious about what you mean by "baby talk". Dumbing down vocabulary around your children is a mistake, but lots of studies have shown that the exaggerated way of speaking that most people tend to use with babies is actually important in stimulating areas of the brain needed for language. There is no reason to think that certain types of "baby talk" will promote weak language skills and plenty of reason to think they may promote good language skills.
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Buffalo mozzarella is apparently most common in a few places . . . including L.A. I know I see it at the supermarket, especially the gourmet-ier places.
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My oldest child is decidedly not the type to say adorably verbose things. He also doesn't ask a lot of questions, except to ask for things.
But he seems to understand what we're saying, just fine. And his preschool teacher and pediatrician both indicate he's doing fine.
I just get a little jealous/insecure when I hear about 2 and 3 year olds forming complete sentences better than my 5 year old.
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Don't stress about it. My son has always been a huge talker, like nonstop. He never used baby words, just jumped into phrases and short sentences at 13 months.
But my daughter has always been very...um...vocally challenged. She talks a lot, but she's only just now starting to become comprehensible, and she's five. Nothing's wrong with her; everyone's just different. But I know what you're saying.
quote:Second, I'm curious about what you mean by "baby talk". Dumbing down vocabulary around your children is a mistake, but lots of studies have shown that the exaggerated way of speaking that most people tend to use with babies is actually important in stimulating areas of the brain needed for language. There is no reason to think that certain types of "baby talk" will promote weak language skills and plenty of reason to think they may promote good language skills.
Sticky ground, I know, but it's also pretty well documented that goofy talking and facial expressions helps children on the Aspergers/Autism spectrum.
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Emma (pointing out the window): Look! Look! I see elephants! Me (wondering if a car drove by with an elephant on it or something): Where? (Looking) I don't see any elephants. Emma: No elephants? You see zero elephants? Me: That's right, I see zero elephants. Emma (extremely aggrieved): WHY are there zero elephants in my life???
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quote:Originally posted by scifibum: My oldest child is decidedly not the type to say adorably verbose things. He also doesn't ask a lot of questions, except to ask for things.
But he seems to understand what we're saying, just fine. And his preschool teacher and pediatrician both indicate he's doing fine.
I just get a little jealous/insecure when I hear about 2 and 3 year olds forming complete sentences better than my 5 year old.
It may not apply in this specific case, but this reminds me of something Steven Pinker says in The Language Instinct, because we had a family friend with a similar concern:
"My child is three years old and hasn't said a word. What should I do?
Take him (it's more likely to be a "him") to a speech and language pathologist accredited by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (www.asha.org), ideally one affiliated with a university, clinic, or teaching hospital. If the child seems to understand language, and is bright and socially responsive, there is a good chance that he is simply a "late talker" (probably genetic causes) who will outgrow his silence and end up just fine."
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Given that the pediatrician thinks he's fine, I'm pretty sure it doesn't apply in this case.
scifibum, my middle brother didn't start to talk until age three. He's still the least talkative of the family. But he is brilliant and well-spoken -- when he speaks, people listen.
Don't worry. I'm sure your son is fine. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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"Don't worry" is probably the least-followed advice of all time.
But that doesn't mean it's not good advice.
Yeah, he'll be OK. He's got some interesting mental talents. By the time he was two, he was very interested in organizing colored objects in the same order in which colors appear in a rainbow (no idea how common this is: anyone seen this? He never made a mistake, it was always red orange yellow green blue purple). He also knew his ABCs backwards and forwards. He seems rather bright except for the way he communicates.
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Man, if Hatrack had .sigs, KQ, I'd be all over this one. Did she also throw up her hands in exasperation?
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So this morning, around 4:00 AM, my three-year-old son climbed into my bed and woke me up by saying, "Hey, Mom! Mom! I have an epiglottis. It's in my mouth."
And, a couple of weeks ago, as we were driving home from preschool: My son: Mom? Me: Yes? My Son (very pensively): I think... I think that those thingies might be some baby trees. (He was pointing out the window at some shrubs)
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quote:Originally posted by scifibum: My oldest child is decidedly not the type to say adorably verbose things. He also doesn't ask a lot of questions, except to ask for things.
But he seems to understand what we're saying, just fine. And his preschool teacher and pediatrician both indicate he's doing fine.
I just get a little jealous/insecure when I hear about 2 and 3 year olds forming complete sentences better than my 5 year old.
It may not apply in this specific case, but this reminds me of something Steven Pinker says in The Language Instinct, because we had a family friend with a similar concern:
"My child is three years old and hasn't said a word. What should I do?
Take him (it's more likely to be a "him") to a speech and language pathologist accredited by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (www.asha.org), ideally one affiliated with a university, clinic, or teaching hospital. If the child seems to understand language, and is bright and socially responsive, there is a good chance that he is simply a "late talker" (probably genetic causes) who will outgrow his silence and end up just fine."
Not a bad idea to get his hearing checked. Another nephew was just diagnosed with a significant hearing impairment - and he is almost 7! He decoded enough that none of us - pediatrician and teachers included - had any idea how hard he was working. What we thought was a slight speech problem was because there were sounds he never heard. He just got some hearing amplification and it is making a world of difference.
Of course, this may have nothing to do with your child. My nephew talked plenty, just not clearly. But it couldn't hurt.
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LiteBrite had a severe ear infection that inhibited her speech and hearing the way kmboots described. We had no clue; she didn't exhibit any symptoms (fever, pain, etc).
Once she got antibiotics, she was talking like a normal three year old in less than three days.
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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scifibum, it would make a difference in my level of concern whether he just liked to line things up and order them in certain ways,*** or whether he becomes notably upset if he is not permitted to do so (or when other people put things out of order, or disturb him while he is ordering them). If the latter, then that is a characteristic it's worth making sure his pediatrician knows about.
---
***as in by color, as you note with the rainbow, or by size, shape, etc. -- any sort of consistent ordering system
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ClaudiaTherese, I just don't know how to answer that. No, he doesn't get mad if the blocks are disordered, or from the simple fact that he is interrupted.
However, he sometimes attaches extreme importance to getting into the van on a certain side (but not all the time), and being allowed to open the front door when we get home (but again, not all the time). He thrives on routines but the routines can and do change, and as long as we are gentle with disrupting his routines it's not a problem. He responds well to discipline when it is delivered with calm and consistency (I'm working on doing better with that), but surprise defeats can ruin the next hour.
All in all he's got some characteristics that are a little bit different, and seem somewhat similar to autistic characteristics, but haven't been enough to interfere with normal activities except on rare occasions, and I have attributed those exceptions to my easily detectable parenting mistakes and fairly normal little person boundary-pushing and fragile temper. The more structure we provide, the better he does, and the minor rigidities he develops for himself seem temporary, and can be forgotten.
Deep breath. After all that, I'm convinced that we should at least discuss it with the pediatrician, even though I don't expect that he's got any problems of clinical significance. Might as well put our minds at ease.
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Let me be clear: I am a total orderer, thrive on routines, get upset going into new environments if I am not allowed to adjust slowly, etc. (e.g., when my husband wants to share an emotionally special place with me -- the ferry ride, a national park, the dam his father built, whatever -- he knows now to book two trips. One for me to sit there and read a book while quietly absorbing things, and one for me to interact and get all excited like he wants me to. I can deal with change, I just can't relax into it with pure pleasure all at once. I can, however, "get through it.")
Yes, I'm a little eccentric. A lot of us here are. I'm also happily married, maintaining several deep and enduring friendships, professionally successful, and financially stable. And very very happy.
I may just be quirky or I may be a bit on the spectrum, or those really might mean the same thing. No matter.
(I used to line things up by size. )
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PS: Come to think of it, I still find routines and ordering very soothing. I specialize in an intensive care medical environment in part because the reams of data (blood pressure changes, heart rate, medication levels, feeding residuals, etc.) are so much fun to pour through and spot patterns. Love it. Don't mind not sleeping on call because there is so much data to play with. (Mmmm, data.)
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I love it when a user name gets turned into a verb. I can just picture what "to CT" entails, as well.
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*grin* It's a feature. I love your parentheses. I do wonder if it'd be possible to make you think that your parentheticals are themselves an affectation, and thus another form of self for which you'd have to create another form of apologetic internal grammar, but only because I think it'd be fun to see how you'd punctuate it.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson: *grin* It's a feature. I love your parentheses. I do wonder if it'd be possible to make you think that your parentheticals are themselves an affectation, and thus another form of self for which you'd have to create another form of apologetic internal grammar, but only because I think it'd be fun to see how you'd punctuate it.
Somehow I deleted instead of editing, thus screwing up the conversation. (Heavens. )
Of course parentheticals are presentations of self. When necessary to metacomment on them, perhaps one could use footnotes?
---
Edited to add: And now my brain hurts. Back to the cute kids, please and mercy!
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From the Ketchup Princess. as I got her a snack just now:
(contemplatively) "We cannot eat people because they are hard to eat. Also, if you eat people, you will die."
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I frequently babysit my accompanist's daughter, who is four, and the first time I put her to bed, she informed me that:
"It's important to brush your teeth, because if you don't, you could get cavities... and then you need toothpicks to get the cavities out!"
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I've got one, although it's not from my kids (don't have any), but from when I was a kid.
For a few weeks (according to my mother) I would call my grandmother "Free Grampas." Eventually, my mom figured it out. I knew that my grandfather was "Grampa" and that there was another person at his house (my grandmother). Also, anything more than one was three (or in my speech, "free). So, at my grandparents house, there was "Grandpa" and "Free Grampas."
It doesn't sound as cute as when my mom tells the story...
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On the way to preschool this morning our 2-year-old was deliberatly mispronouncing Saturn as "Sapurn." Over and over and over.
My five-year-old, voice quavering, tears in eyes, says "Don't make fun of my favorite planet!" She was inconsolable for a few minutes. Then she announced she was naming her first daughter Saturn.
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quote:Originally posted by SenojRetep: On the way to preschool this morning our 2-year-old was deliberatly mispronouncing Saturn as "Sapurn." Over and over and over.
My five-year-old, voice quavering, tears in eyes, says "Don't make fun of my favorite planet!" She was inconsolable for a few minutes. Then she announced she was naming her first daughter Saturn.
This sounds like our car rides some days...
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Just now, while watching scenes from the 2003 US Open ISKA (International Sport Karate Association) my 7-year-old very seriously said: "I can't do that. But I can stand on my heels."
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I can't wait until my daughter (3 mos.) is old enough to start saying silly things. Reading this thread made me smile.
As it is, I remember my brother at age 4 in the car as we were driving out West on vacation asking my Mom, 'When are we going to get there?' and pointing at the sun setting.
My Mother also tells me that when I was nearly 5, my Grandmother would have to watch my brother and I while Mom was at work. One day I walked up to my Grandmother and very calmly told her 'I understand that you feel that we need to be babysat while Mom is at work, but I don't appreciate that,' and then I walked off. Apparently Grandma called Mom at work laughing her head off over that one. Posts: 701 | Registered: Jul 1999
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I was sitting out my porch last watching my two 7 year old neighbor boys playing football (that's soccer for you Yankees). The one boy is from the states and the other just moved into the neighborhood from Jamaica. They were talking about football teams and players, which eventually turned to talk of news about the CONCACAF cup in Jamaica. The American kid then proclaimed, "Nobody watches the local news, they watch CNN cause they want to know who the gonna be the secretary"."
Then he stopped and said with extreme earnestness. "Did you know that Barack Obama is the first black President of the United States". He then started to sing "doo doo doo" and do a victory dance in the street. It was extremely cute.
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