We anxiously await those first words from our children’s mouths. Whether it be “Mama” or “Dada”, it seems to sneak up on us; sometimes, we don’t hear it again for weeks!
I’m one of those moms who, even after 5 kids, worries that they aren’t developing their language skills as quickly as they should. This worry is largely unfounded, of course, as my children are with me all day, being exposed to a variety of books, educational programming, and people who can enrich their current vocabulary and encourage verbal growth. My 20-month old son was not exempt from my concerns, however, and I grew fearful that he may never talk.
Why do moms do this? Maybe it is because of all the magazine articles warning us to check for signs of autism and the well-baby doctor’s visits that drill us with a million questions. “Is he making sentences yet?” (No. He’s not even talking much.) “Do you talk to him often?” (Of course. How else would I communicate?)
It wasn’t until just last month that my son began actively expressing a dozen new words and using them appropriately. I had left on a business trip, and my son was left dazed by my departure. He went from room to room in our home calling my name and trying to verbalize to my husband that he missed me. My absence forced him to mature. He now never stops talking.
“Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom.”
“Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!”
“Oh, man!”
This is the constant backdrop to my life now, and some days it gets a bit overwhelming. My once quiet child NEVER stops talking, and I can’t believe I ever yearned for the day when he started to converse. Like a broken dam that can’t be repaired, my kid is officially a “talker.”
I promise that if I ever have a #6, I won’t worry about language. (At least I hope….)
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