Let them say it (over and over and over)

The other night I was in the baby’s room taking care of her and putting her to sleep, and I could hear the babble of my toddler talking to my husband coming from the living room.  Every once in a while, I could hear my husband say, “Are you okay Bear Bear?” From a distance, it sounded like the cadence of my son’s voice was mimicking his dad’s.

When I came into the living room I asked what happened to Bear Bear.  What tragedy kept befalling him!? My husband said he had fallen off the windowsill once, and our son asked him if he was okay a thousand times! As I was standing there he started again, “You okay Bear Bear?  Ahhhh you okay Bear Bear?”  It was like he was trying to figure out how exactly to say the sentence.  He even came up to us to ask the question as if to say, “Am I doing this right?”

And this is why kids play.  Not only is it fun to throw your bear around with your dad, but it is helping them develop language.  He was asking the same question again, over and over, to really understand what he was saying.  And to make sure he was getting it right.  This repetition can be funny (and also sometimes get annoying) but it is extremely important to his language development.

Let your kids talk and babble and say the same things over and over.  Take delight in it and laugh at them.  Help them hear the proper way to say it, play with them, and soak in the moment.

Hannah