Marveling about the little things
The other day I dreamed that Tin was talking and sure enough when T and I were reading his nighttime story, we turned to the page with the sheep and he said very clearly and distinctly, Baa Baa. Why farm animal sounds tickle us, I don’t know, but I definitely see a huge progression in his understanding. It seems like weeks ago he was struggling to understand just what we were telling him and now it is clear he understands almost everything. Such as we have always greased him up particularly because of his dry skin on his face and knees, well he used to want to hold the tube of lotion, but now he helps rub it in. He almost helped rub suntan lotion on a girl whose boyfriend was putting it on at the Boogaloo. Meanwhile, he also wipes his own face and tray and he wants to put on his own socks.
His brain is going click, click, click, I get it, now let me do it. You might think that we, as older parents, would hover over him as he is trying out all of these new things but we actually give him space. It’s the grandmother, the young neighbor who hover, hold and box him into such confine that he becomes a cricket in a cage, trying to sing but with no room to saw his legs.
T continues to speak Croatian to him and he is easily understanding both languages equally and simultaneously.
Well, he’s a our little genius – what can I say? It’s these little developments more so than the big ones like walking that are fascinating and quick. And once, as a mother, you have observed these building blocks, it’s hard to know how you wouldn’t want to hover and hold them back and confine them to stay close a little longer.
May 27th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Ah yes! One of the many paradoxes of motherhood, wanting them to grow and yet stay as they are at the same time.