Why Rush Things?

So I was reading this article in one of my parenting magazines this morning and thought it was interesting and thought I would share. The article talks about how some babies walk and talk later than others.

Ethan skipped crawling and went right to walking the day before he turned 10 months. He was an early bloomer in that department. I think he's a bit of a late bloomer in the talking department. He is definitely a smart cookie, understands well and is definitely trying to communicate to us more. It's cute! I'm not the type of mom who finds the need to compare my kids to other kids - at least not in the competitive way that many parents do these days. It drives me crazy actually. I prefer to accept my kids the way they are! Anyhow, here's one part of the article.

"Luke Nelson, 2, is a great communicator. He makes faces and uses a wide variety of gestures. He points to what he wants. He shakes his head for yes and no. He follows commands (and sometimes refuses with a stamp of his foot), demonstrating that he understands what's said to him. He just doesn't say much back. And that's not uncommon. Late language development is the most common delay, affecting 1 in 10 children. That's because communicating is so complicated, says Pamela High, MD, a development behavioral pediatrician at Hasbro Children's Hospital. It requires understanding as well as speaking, and these skills develop differently. Receptive language (understanding) needs to happen first and usually comes before expressive language (speaking) by half a year. So if, for instance, your toddler is able to point to his nose when you ask him to, that's sign that skills are developing, even if he's not talking."

As a mom of a late bloomer in the talking department - this was so nice to hear! I wasn't worried about him, I've watched dozens of kids from my nanny years to daycare years to owning my own daycare years but it's still always nice to read articles like this. One of the smartest little boys I know, Benjamin, came to my daycare at 2 years old not saying much of anything. He quickly bloomed to be one of the smartest little boys I've ever watched. He amazed me daily and talked so well (and so cute) within the next 6 months to a year. I know Ethan will do the same.

The article goes on to say that if your child is past his second birthday and still has few words, think about whether you're giving him the chance to speak. Luke's mother, Karen, realized that she and the rest of the family were talking for him. "I'd guess, out loud, what he wanted, (totally something Jer and I do too!) and when I got it right, he'd nod and do his little happy dance," she says. "Now I make it a point to say, 'Tell me what you want' and wait for him to respond." This approach takes longer. It was faster to guess what Luke wanted to drink, for example, then to wait for him to say "juice" or "milk" (or "sign" milk in Ethan's case). But the payoff is that Luke is gaining vocabulary.

It also goes on to say that personality plays a role in talking too. Some babies are naturally quiet. Pretty sure we know that this is NOT Ethan - lol!

It says that parents tend to dwell on the worst case scenarios - that many people start to worry about autism if their child isn't talking. It says that the first thing your pediatrician is likely to check is their hearing - we know Ethan hears just fine:) It says that lack of early language doesn't mean that your child won't be bright. Albert Einstein, for one, didn't speak until well after his second birthday. Interesting huh?

The last part I completely agree with. It says to look at the big picture - at all the things your baby may be doing, whether playing peekaboo or blowing kisses. Development happens in spurts and plateaus. Enjoy the plateau your child is on now.

I have always been about enjoying each season. Enjoying the pregnancy. Enjoying the newborn stage (did you notice I skipped the labor and delivery stage?? :)) and just enjoy each season with your babies because it goes by fast. Soon Ethan will be talking our ears off and we won't remember the days of him not talking.

As far as our sweet girl, I am quite confident she will be an early bloomer in the talking department. I could be wrong but that girl has been trying to talk since the day we brought her home. I have a video of her at 2 weeks sleeping and she's seriously cooing and talking in the video. She's been scooting for months, been crawling for weeks and is already pulling herself up and standing all the time while she holds on to something or someone. She is a go getter and goes after what she wants. I continue to tell her she better slow down and start acting her age (mommy's little baby girl) or else she won't stay the "baby" for that much longer ;)

Enjoying each season God has given me!
Momma Keri