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Words are coming
I have never been a big fan of horror movies, but I have watched my fair share throughout the years. And one common theme runs through almost all of them - that strange sound you hear is the killer coming.
So it is no wonder that in each movie, the characters become paranoid. Each creaking or groaning of the house has to be something evil coming. The sound of the tree limb banging the window outside is the harbinger of death. Every little noise results in a startled, “What’s that?” And usually results in minutes of panic and anxiety before another gory moment.
Well, as parents, I think we have moments like this. Sure, noises late at night make us jump up to make sure our child is ok. But this isn’t my point. I am thinking more of those first “words” your child utters. Every babble means something, right?
Come on now. Any of you who are a parent are just a guilty as I am. My daughter every now and then busts out with something that sounds like mama or dada, so that has to be what she is saying right? I mean the grunt I heard yesterday in response to a question I had asked her sounded kind of like good, so she said good, right?
My daughter definitely says “baba,” which is Chinese for baby. I am not sure she knows exactly what it means, but she has no trouble saying it. And I encourage her every time she uses it. And then I toss out a few dadas for good measure hoping she will offer one back.
Officially, I don’t think my daughter is talking yet. And I am completely comfortable with that. Maybe she will be like the brother of a friend of mine. He was very slow in speaking, to the point where his family was quite concerned. Finally, when he did speak, he offered forth a complete sentence. Now, that is a grand entrance.
I can almost see my daughter doing that one morning, looking at me and saying, “Dad, those clothes don’t match.” And after the shock of the moment wore off, I would have to admit - she’s right!
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