eve@ssc-bee.UUCP (Michael Eve) (11/05/84)
Perhaps some of you more experienced parents out there
can better interpret what is happening with my first-born,
9 1/2 month old son, Andrew. Others may find this worth
a chuckle or two.
Now I know it is normal for parents to exaggerate the
accomplishments of their children, but my wife and I
swear (with some embarrassment) that Andrew has learned
what words are for and is actively seeking the names of new
objects.
Within the past week or two, he has begun pointing at almost
everything and saying "Whoz-at". At first, we thought it was only
another one of the random sounds babies make, but the pattern
has become so clear --- pointing and "Whoz-at" --- that we
really believe he is asking for the names of things. Another
confirmation is he doesn't ask for the names of us or his bottle
("bah-bah" also generic for food). We don't know where he picked
up saying "What's that" unless it is from the 2-year old he
stays with 3 days a week. In any case, we are not taking any
chances of wasting his development and we are acting as if he
is indeed asking us for names. We tell him the name and describe
the object. He does seem quite interested.
Now perhaps Andrew is a language genius, but we wonder if this
is just another instance where normal babies are really far more
aware of their world than normally given credit for. They are
denied credit simply because their motor control can't keep
up with their thought processes.
Comments are invited, and snide remarks will be tolerated.
--
Mike Eve Boeing Aerospace, Seattle
...uw-beaver!ssc-vax!ssc-bee!evesusan@vaxwaller.UUCP (Susan Finkelman) (11/06/84)
I don't know when kids are supposed to learn to ask, but yours seems to have. I think you're right to just answer his questions. As long as you are all enjoying it, you haven't lost anything even if you have misinterpreted.
rld@bentley.UUCP (Bob Duncanson) (11/08/84)
Andrew is asking you to teach him the names of all the fascinating things he sees. He understands a lot; more than some people give him credit for. Please answer all his questions. At 9 1/2 months you needn't get into technical explanations. I recommend you read stories to him. Some people may think he is too young to understand; bet my wife and I read stories [from books, sit on your lap, turn the pages, point at the pictures, name the objects] When our children were very young, and now they are all very proficient at "language skills"* beyond their peers. My 5-year old in nursery school can read, for example. I think most children are capable of far more then they are given credit for, if given the right environment. but please don't pressure and push and base acceptance on this. They learn at variable rates. ___________________ * Please don't chastise me for my poor "language skills", it is 1:00 am and my fingers are cold and my mind numb from reading netnews for an hour. -- Bob Duncanson ihnp4!bentley!rld AT&T Bell Laboratories, Piscataway, NJ one day to move to: Liberty Corner, NJ
german@uiucuxc.UUCP (11/09/84)
It is possible that he is picking up skills from the older child. My daughter (she will be 2 on 11/15) tries very hard to keep up with the 5 and 6 year olds at daycare. She understood alot more than she could say for a long time. I could ask her to go get her blanket or some other object she was familiar with almost from the time she could walk at 10.5 months. We try very hard to listen whenever she tries to communicate with us hoping to encourage her communication skills through positive reinforcement when she gets some abstract point across. Greg German pur-ee!uiucdcs!uiucuxc!german