After we read scriptures together, before she goes to bed, I let The Princess finish using her daily allotment of words.
She calls this chatting.
I call it listening.
Some days she has used her words up by the time the sun has set and she is content to kiss goodnight and climb upon her decorated bed and read her books until she gets drowsy.
But some days we lay on my bed in front of the fan, or sit on the couch near the open window and she talks and flits between subjects and questions randomly. She needs little encouragement to keep her going until her word well dries up.
If I am patient I will usually hear something good.
Last night she told me, "Mom I can move my nose without using my fingers but if I do it then my lips move too. Like this. . . You try. . . Yeah, you're lips moved too."
Then she asks me, "Can you make your ears wiggle?"
She waits for me to say no, "Well, I can't either but I sort of can if I do this. . ." She gets serious and then scrunches her eyes and stretches her nose and mouth to the left side of her face. "My ear isn't really moving, but it sounds like it is."
"It sounds like it is?"
"Yeah, you try it."
So I scrunch my eyes and stretch my nose and mouth to the left side of my face. I don't hear a thing. Not the sound of my ear pretending to move or anything like it.
"Do you hear it?"
"No."
"Hmmm...try again. Really hard." She is very close to my face now and showing me how in-case I was inaccurate with my previous attempt. Only now, how can I move my mouth to the left side of my face when it is grinning at her silliness?
"Mom...try...it sounds like a rocket in your head."
"A rocket?!" Oh my, how can I hear a rocket in my head when I am laughing so loud?
"Yes...like this."
She scrunches her face and I listen.
We are both very quiet and trying very hard: she to show and I to hear.
All I hear is the rain outside.
I concentrate carefully and that is when I am in her little head and I hear her ear pretending to move and then I understand.
"Ooohhh...is it like this?" And I scrunch up my eyes and move my nose and mouth to the left side of my face and I do it. I hear my ear pretending to move.
I smile with pride.
She smiles with delight.
She knows what I heard.
It does sound like a rocket in my head.
It also sounds a lot like your teeth grinding together because you are trying very hard to make that ear wiggle.
But it's like I told you...I was patient...and I did hear something good.
She calls this chatting.
I call it listening.
Some days she has used her words up by the time the sun has set and she is content to kiss goodnight and climb upon her decorated bed and read her books until she gets drowsy.
But some days we lay on my bed in front of the fan, or sit on the couch near the open window and she talks and flits between subjects and questions randomly. She needs little encouragement to keep her going until her word well dries up.
If I am patient I will usually hear something good.
Last night she told me, "Mom I can move my nose without using my fingers but if I do it then my lips move too. Like this. . . You try. . . Yeah, you're lips moved too."
Then she asks me, "Can you make your ears wiggle?"
She waits for me to say no, "Well, I can't either but I sort of can if I do this. . ." She gets serious and then scrunches her eyes and stretches her nose and mouth to the left side of her face. "My ear isn't really moving, but it sounds like it is."
"It sounds like it is?"
"Yeah, you try it."
So I scrunch my eyes and stretch my nose and mouth to the left side of my face. I don't hear a thing. Not the sound of my ear pretending to move or anything like it.
"Do you hear it?"
"No."
"Hmmm...try again. Really hard." She is very close to my face now and showing me how in-case I was inaccurate with my previous attempt. Only now, how can I move my mouth to the left side of my face when it is grinning at her silliness?
"Mom...try...it sounds like a rocket in your head."
"A rocket?!" Oh my, how can I hear a rocket in my head when I am laughing so loud?
"Yes...like this."
She scrunches her face and I listen.
We are both very quiet and trying very hard: she to show and I to hear.
All I hear is the rain outside.
I concentrate carefully and that is when I am in her little head and I hear her ear pretending to move and then I understand.
"Ooohhh...is it like this?" And I scrunch up my eyes and move my nose and mouth to the left side of my face and I do it. I hear my ear pretending to move.
I smile with pride.
She smiles with delight.
She knows what I heard.
It does sound like a rocket in my head.
It also sounds a lot like your teeth grinding together because you are trying very hard to make that ear wiggle.
But it's like I told you...I was patient...and I did hear something good.