Out of the Mouths of Babes

One of my favourite things about toddlerhood is watching the eolution of language. From hilarious mispronunciations to unique truns of phrase, language acquisition in children is an insight into their personalities, and the ways in which they process the world around them.

Both of The Ladies talked early--at about 5 months. And both of them said "'Mama" as their first word. When Sabrina did it, I dismissed it as meaningless baby babble until other people pointed out that she only made that particular noise while looking at me. When Regan followed her sister's lead, I wasn't surprised; I just figured it was par for the course.

Once Sabrina mastered her voice box, there was no holding her back. She talked constantly (and still does). At first I wondered if her words had any real meaning; when I heard her talking in her sleep it seemed obvious to me that she was well on her way to figuring the whole language thing out. While my Diva Girl has always had a strong vocabulary (one of the side effects of being the only child of a highly educated single mother), there are a couple linguistic gems that I will always treasure from the time when she was first learning to express her understanding of the world.

"Circle money." When Bree was a bout two and a half, she was telling a story that involved coins. Although she'd seen coins, and was aware that they were a form of currency, she didn't know what they were called. So, based on the information at hand, she made an educated guess.

"The Chimney Guy." Until she was about 4, Sabrina was far more interested in Frosty the Snowman than Santa Claus. The big guy in the red suit clearly didn't make much of an impact on her, since she for years, she couldn't remember his name.

"Pollimop." Sabrina has always had very good pronunciation, but for some reason, she just couldn't master the word "Lollipop." Quite possibly because I so loved hearing her say "pollimop" that I never bothered to correct her.

When Regan began speaking, I just took it for granted that she would be a talker like her sister. She said the same word at pretty much the same age, so that didn't seem like too unlikely an expectation. And when she was saying "Spongebob" shortly before her first birthday, it seemed pretty much a given. Then she got a debulking surgery for her first birthday and stopped speaking altogether.

She'd always been a reserved baby, and tended to save her verbal exchanges for Mummy, but by the time we left the hospital she wouldn't even talk to me. For months she was utterly silent. Not a word, not even a sound. Although I understood why she wasn't speaking, I'll confess that her silence was disconcerting. Two way communication, particularly verbal communication, is one of the key ways that we can judge that our children are developing on track; that the world is a comprehensible place for them and one that they are capable of processing and exploring in meaningful ways. I have one friend whose son is Autistic and another whose little boy has just been diagnosed with severe Apraxia; I needed Regan to speak to be assured that she really was ok.

I am a very lucky mother, because in addition to the miracle that was Regan's tumour, I was also, after much patient waiting, given the gift of her speech. And what a gift it is! Clearly I need not have worried about her verbal skills; at not quite two and a half Zen Baby speaks in complex sentences. She doesn't chatter constantly like her sister, but she can certainly keep up her end of the conversation. And like most toddlers, she's putting her personal twist on the language. A particular quirk of hers is her use of nouns as adjectives:

In the Zen Baby lexicon, "Barbie" means anything that is pretty. Or wearing a dress. "Chocolate" describes more of an experience than a flavour for Zen Baby. Chocolate is " chocolate," but so are strawberries and oatmeal cookies.

Sometimes I want them to just. stop. talking. But then, Regan asks me for "oh yeah juice" (Kool Aid) or a "boo boo stick" (band aid) and I just can't wait to hear what they'll say next.

Comments

we have banarto (tomatoe) sauce and like you say I like hearing it so I dont correct him! and hostable (hospital) Poodles and noodles (pins and needles when he sits on his legs too long) I'll come back to this page when I remember the others! x

My eldest was the most lyrical with the language of my three. The first time she was outside and awake after dark, she marvelled at the streetlights: "Look! Crystal trees!"

Or the lawn sprinkler, the kind that's a ring that sits on the grass? A "droopy-up".

My favourite from my talkative son was his word, at about a year, for one of his more fascinating body parts: "my nee-nips".

My youngest's most memorable linguistic quirk was her word for socks - "gookums". Where did THAT come from??

It was crazy. My son had the babble down pact as an infant. He used to talk so much I swore he was trying to have a conversation with us. Then one day he just woke up and spoke so clearly and the things that came out of his mouth was like a little adult. That is also my favorite evolution of toddlers.

I have been a reader for some time now but this is my first comment.
First let me just say to you, Solo mom, that you always seem to hit the nail on the head when describing just how a single mother (or all mothers in general) feel about thier daily child raising duties. Good Stuff...Keep it up!
Secondly, I feel the same way about a childs speech. My daughter talked from a very young age as well (short conversations at 6 months), and she had her share of gems as well. My favorite was "Munkchip". Everytime she would see a chipmunk she would get all excited and cry out "Mama! Look...a monkchip!"
Anyway, thanks for the poignant reminder of what it's really all about.

Having a son with Autism (5) and an incredibly shy daughter (3) who has only recently started to feel comfortable with her speech I can honestly say that I have never felt the urge to tell them to stop talking.
I am blessed that my son does have speech and can communicate with words now. For the first few years they both called me Daddy, not because I wasn't around but because it was easier. So it goes without saying that Mommy is still my most favorite word ever to hear from my two. I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing that magical word.

Both of The Ladies talked early--at about 5 months.

Wow! I find that incredible; actually I find it impossible. Are you kidding me?

Talking at 5 months? Not bad. My daughter was out of diapers at 8 months, memorized Pi to the tenth at 12 months, read "Paradise Lost" at 18 months, and ran her first marathon at two. Just a side effect of being the first child of a pathalogical liar.

Don't let susan or amber's negativity bother you. All children develop abilities differently. If susan & amber don't understand that, maybe they shouldn't read your blog about being a parent. And they should definitely not post snipy comments that are only meant to tear others down. (What do they say about people who tear others down to make themselves feel better?? Oh yeh...immature.)

Thanks, Snootysmama (I love the name by the way). I appreciate the sentiment. But let's try to rise above, because I would really hate to see any sort of flame war here.

And FYI: I DO have the power to delete abusive comments. Just like readers have the power to click the x on the top of the screen.

Sorry..didn't mean to be abrasive. Glad to hear they give you that option. :)

No aplogy needed, Snooty. It was more of a general FYI. Certainly wasn't directed at you. You were simply responding in kind. I just want to make it clear to everyone who reads and comments here that a certain level of decency and respect for others is required. :)