Last Friday, I accompanied Ellie's preschool class on a field trip to Grant's Farm. Later that afternoon, Ellie talked to my mom about it on the phone.
"Hi, Gah-mah!" Ellie said.
My mom said hi and asked Ellie what she'd seen at the farm.
"Camel! Eagle. Chickens. Goats. Bye bye!" She waited for my mom to say goodbye, then passed the phone back to me.
My mom nearly cried with happiness. Hi and Bye aren't new additions to Ellie's phone conversations, but they're a little inconsistent, and she didn't used to wait to hear responses, let alone answer questions. This question she answered appropriately, in detail, with no prompting from me (I'm often whispering in her ear, exactly as I should not be).
Instead of a dinner conversation like this:
Mommy: Ellie, what did you see on your field trip today?
Ellie, eating pizza: 'za!
Mommy: Did you see an elephant?
Ellie: Eh'fant. Mo 'za?
I got several real conversations with Ellie where she was able to let me know what she found really interesting. And the camel that came right out into the road with us was far more interesting to her than the elephant. After all, she stayed way over on the other side of her pen and we saw elephants at the zoo just a couple of weeks ago.
I know that people dealing with infertility are annoyed when I complain about my kids keeping me up at night. Similarly, I get frustrated when parents complain about their kids talking too much and asking too many questions. I look forward to feeling that particular frustration.
4 comments:
We all encourage our children to talk when they are small and each new word is an achievement and something to be celebrated. When our children are older we celebrate other things including good conversation. Yes my 6 year old talks too much about nothing in particular. I think we complain now because he's not adding to the conversation or saying the same things over and over. I do the same thing on the phone with my girl prompting her with things to say. She's gotten much better in the past few months, but it's hard not to see someone when you're only 3/4 years old when you talk to them.
Normal or special needs, when they can't talk we wish they could, and when they learn we think they'll never shut up!
#2-Son had to phone some older boys in his Social Skills class to tell them that everyone was meeting at the video arcade last Saturday as a class assignment. Luckily both first-floor phones are cordless so I could put my handset on "mute" to listen to the "conversation" and then whisper in his ear what to say. Unfortunately, one of the other boys was just as poor a telephone user as #2.
Oh my gosh, look at that picture! SO CUTE!!! Ellie's phone conversation is amazing. My boy has only recently managed to pull together a give and take phone conversation. He doesn't talk on the phone much, so I think he loses interest quickly in what's going on.
We went to Grant's Farm last weekend and had a good time despite lots of tantrums and meltdowns. The camel didn't make NEARLY the impression on my kids as Ellie, but boy did my girl love the horses! :)
I know of a kid that used to call the phone the "Hi Daddy!" so I guess there is something about it that clarifies the point of "Hi" and "Bye".
Adorable pic!
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