Yes, Father, I believe it is time for the cessation of my personal cleaning ritual
Posted on March 25, 2007 - Filed Under Adult swim, The Daily Doodle, Parenting
Each night, when we give Maggie her bath, one of three things happens which leads to her getting out and wrapped in a towel: She begins getting grouchy; she stands up and reaches for us; or we, as parents, think she’s been in there long enough, i.e. we’re getting tired and would like to get her started on her way to sleepy land. When one of these happens, one of us will often ask her, “Are you ready to get out?” We’ve probably said this to her on a fairly regular basis for the last 3 or 4 months. Well, the other night, things were going along with her bath as they normally do when. I looked at her and asked her the aforementioned question. She, looking back at me, nodded her and kind of grunted (I don’t really know how else to explain the vocalization). I laughed and thought, ‘She certainly can’t be answering me for real–she’s only a year old!’ So I asked her again; she ‘answered’ again, in the same way. Astonished, I had to ask her a third time; she didn’t fail me. Erin saw all of this and was likewise marveled. All we could wonder is if it is even vaguely possible that a 12 month old can not only comprehend she is being asked a question but also answer. And not just answer but do so in a way that accurately reflects what she wants. I wouldn’t have believed it was an authentic experience if she had only done it once; twice, I would have been thoroughly confused as to which side to come down on. But three times? My scientific mind tends to think we did an effective test and that she must have truly been answering us and that is just amazing to contemplate.
What’s been your experience? Am I making too much of this? When did your kids begin understanding and responding to questions?
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6 Responses to “Yes, Father, I believe it is time for the cessation of my personal cleaning ritual”
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she is a marvelous little gal. of course she understands you. that is why parents need to communicate from day one with their baby.
she is a very smart little girl after all look who her parents are they say babies are learning faster now i think that you understood what i was saying to you you were very smart too
she is so precious i love her so much the picture are wonderful
Thats about right. They truly do understand alot more than we give them credit for. In another year you will be amazed when the two of you are talking and she jumps right in and knows whats going on.
You guys can also start giving her some choices about what to drink ect. and she will let you know her preferances. communisation and language changes everything for the better.
Thanks for the ideas Jill. By the way, when are you guys going to start doing this blog thing for yourselves? Check out wordpress.com or blogger.com — it’s a lot easier than it looks.