Day 18: How I didn't teach him to talk

Remember my OCD about tummy time and other milestones? Well, here's another one: talking to my infant (now toddler).

The screaming phase

Don't know if you remember reading this too, but almost as soon as a baby's born, you're supposed to encouraged to narrate the world to them. So I was a good student, and every morning I'd take J downstairs, read to him out of a book, and then walk around the first floor narrating the things I saw.

We're in the kitchen now. Oh, isn't it a beautiful day? What are you thinking? Did you have a good night? Good, because I'm really tired!

And when we went outside with Coco for her walk, same thing.

Isn't it a beautiful day? Do you see the trees? They are green. The sky is blue. Do you hear the cars? I have to bend down and pick up Coco's poo. Let's go home now.

First off, was encouraging me to narrate the world to J really just therapy for me? Seems like it, huh?

Second, the only words he knew before 16 months were Mama, Mum Mum, and Baba. No matter how much I narrated. 16 months of silence! Maybe the bilingual thing slowed him down.

Nevertheless, he spoke when he was ready. And boy, is he ready now! From 3 words all the way to 25 (on last count). His favorite is NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. We really have to stop asking yes or no questions!


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