Katherine can count to ten.<\/p>\n
This is something new in the last few weeks, but I’m not surprised.<\/p>\n
Every time either we visit the grandparents, or they visit us, Katherine makes big leaps. That is because, aside from the intrinsic magic that grandparents possess, they do something that Margie and I do not do enough of.<\/p>\n
They pay attention <\/i>to her.<\/p>\n
They play <\/i>with her.<\/p>\n
They talk <\/i>to her.<\/p>\n
They force her to stretch her imagination, her verbal skills, her cognition. They engage with her.<\/p>\n
We do it more, too, when we’re around them. We play with Katherine more. We include her in conversations (or she includes herself).<\/p>\n
It’s not like Margie and I are neglectful parents. It’s not like our household is shrouded in silence when we’re alone with her. It’s not like we shunt her off into a closet whilst we busy ourselves with Important Grown-Up Stuff.<\/p>\n
But …<\/p>\n
But if she has something she wants to show either of us, or needs help with something she’s playing with, we do, sometimes, say, “Sorry, honey — I’m busy right now. I’ll look later.” Or, “Just a sec, pumpkin.” Or even, “Katherine, I’m trying to do this right now! Please get out of the way!”<\/p>\n
And we probably say it more than we should, though I’m not sure we say it as much as some parents.<\/p>\n
But I think that’s a goodly part of what makes the difference.<\/p>\n
Katherine can count to ten now. What will she do next? And how will we help her with that?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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