Last week, everything was “zoom!” as Widget raced across the room, up the stairs, down the hall, and “hop up” on the bed for his morning Bob or afternoon Seuss. This week, “zoom” has given way to “wow” which he says with the most amazed look on his face, a look that is instantly gratifying to Mom, Gramma, and stranger alike, and that brings a smile where ever he goes.
Picture books are punctuated by Widget’s words whenever we come to a noun he knows. By memory or by picture, he helps Mommy complete the stanzas, and he loves to rhyme. Hop on Pop is our favorite book, and we read it at least 3 times a day. We laugh at the cup on pup every time. It’s just silly.
We count, from 1 to 10, and Widget repeats the numbers after me. They aren’t all clear, but they are different words, and he says each one pretty distinctly — until I say, “nine,” and he triumphantly finishes, “ten!”
There are new words every day, from “Venus” to “again” to “up top,” and every time I hear a new word I just beam and immediately reinforce it with a response that repeats the word, just as the experts advise. But my favorite of all his new words is one that my parents taught me to value above all else. In my family, we value this above competitiveness, above winning, and above perfection.
“Done!”
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