Starting to ‘do the parrot’

It is fascinating, although slightly nerve-wracking, to follow the individual development pace of a toddler. Or more precisely of a toddler who is a late developer. After dragging our son to a number of playgroup where he has completely ignored all sing-alongs, he has now suddenly during the Christmas holidays started to sing along with Something Special and repeat words from Dora the Explorer. The repetition of three alternatives from one episode to another that makes an adult run for the hills and to consider all episodes the; however, this seems to delight Number One Son. He does not hit the correct pronunciation, but ‘River – muddy mountain – gooey geysir’ are repeated while watching Dora or walking back from the park. This is a developmental stage most toddlers I know have passed when they were about two. This just shows how individual the children are.

Archaeologist Husband and I try to repeat things and correct his pronunciation as much as we can now when he has started to pay attention. Now one just wonders if all the repetition done during the last 12 months and before was just useless. And when Number One Son will become interested in picking up the pen and writing his name. Many children in the nursery are doing the wobbly capitals, while our Number One Son apparently stubbornly keeps drawing circles...