Conference moira::parenting_v3

    Pam -
    
    I was just reading the twelfth month chapter in "What to Expect the
    First Year" and one of the questions asked this exact same things.
    Seems its completely normal for kids to concentrate on one new
    thing and forget some other skills for awhile.   Furthermore,
    once Joshua has said "car" 9000 times, don't be surprised if you
    don't hear it again for a couple of months as he goes on to
    something else.
    
    Sounds like fun!
    cj/

    My nephew, Rocco, used the word "cow" to death.  Every item he picked
    up, whether spoon, stuffed animal, or towel, was dubbed "Cow".  This,
    in addition to "Duck" were the first words he learned.  After about 1
    month of "Cow" and "Duck", he changed to "Car".  At 18 months, he has a
    tremendous vocabulary and can easily tell you the names of everything
    in his house, except a stuffed cow and a rubber duck!  Show him the
    cow, and he smiles and grabs it.  Ask him what it is, and he refuses to
    answer.  Ask him "Is this a cow"? He nods his head and grunts in the
    affirmative.  This from a little boy who yells across the street to
    neighbors "What are you doin'"!  
    

Kati used to say "arf arf arf" when asked what the doggie says.  Then she said
something that somewhat resembled meow when asked what the kitty says.  Soon
she would never say "arf arf arf" again.  Same thing with words, she said doggie
for a while then quit saying it when she went on to other words.

I have heard a few theories that make sense:

(1) You aren't as excited.  Think of the first time (or few times) they said
a certain word - you probably went overboard with praise and excitement.  After
a while it isn't as exciting and they don't draw the same response from you
anymore.

(2) They aren't as excited.  Once they have mastered something it can become
boring, so they go on to something else.  Funny thing, we behave the same way!

(3) You correct them.  They may say "cuck" for "truck" and, although you
understand what they are saying, you are always sure to say "No, TRuck."  It
all sounds the same to them, and they THINK they have said it correctly.  So
after a while they quit saying it altogether.

I don't think it's a bit abnormal.  It seems that their vocabulary will grow
exponentially over the next few months.  Enjoy it!

Kristen

I forget when it was, but my daughter's word was "juice".  Whenever she would 
be struggling for a word, she would insert "juice", kind of like we use 
"thingamajig" or some similar phrase.  Or if she had memorized something and 
forgot a word, she would insert "juice" e.g.

	Hey diddle diddle, the cat in the <pause> juice


	Daddy:  What shape is this?

	Lara:	triangle!

	Daddy:	And what shape is this?

	Lara:	(doesn't know)  uhhhhh .....  juice!
	
I loved it.

Clay

    I remember my daughters first word was "baby", then "muma".  She wore
    the word "baby" out, the dog was known as a baby every child she saw
    wether they were 1 or 10 were known as baby, it was so cute!  
    
    Yes they do get bored with words and move on to the next one that they
    learn, but luckily they never forget the previous word they just do not
    say it again for a while.
    
    One thing that really surprises me now is that my daughter has a
    wonderful memory. For example.
    
    We were driving in the car up route 3 into Nashua, N.H.  At exit 1 in
    Nashua there is an apartment complex called Royal Crest.   My daughter
    (now 3.8 years old) and I used to live there for 4 months when she was 1 
    year old.  As we were driving past it on the highway (at 55 mph) she turns
    to me and tells me "mommy, we used to live there right?"   I was so surpris
    ed and happy that her memory was so good.  She still comes out with really
    surprising memory comments that I do not expect, I only hope that her
    memory stays that way becuase my memory is not as good as it used to
    be.
    
    Any way Pam, be patient and remember children never really forget
    things, they conveniently misplace them in their head (kind of the same
    way parents do sometimes) until it is really needed again.
    
    Julie
    

    It's funny how this happens ... they seem to work a word to death
    and save it ... and work another word.  On the other hand ... this is
    the public display ...
    
    One day we caught one of our daughters sitting alone in the crib in her
    room, jabbering away to herself, by just peeping in so she didn't see
    us ... she was practicing all those saved words ... when we went in,
    we were back to the word of the week.  We caught a second the same way.
    
    But don't let all this fool you ... one day soon all those save words
    will just POUR out and you'll be wishing for peace again!
    
    Stuart

.3> (3) You correct them.  They may say "cuck" for "truck" and, although you
.3> understand what they are saying, you are always sure to say "No, TRuck."  It
.3> all sounds the same to them, and they THINK they have said it correctly.  So
.3> after a while they quit saying it altogether.
    
    I've always found that ignoring mispronounciation was the easiest (yet
    effective) thing to do.  For a long time Brian called me Tacy -- just
    couldn't get that "r" in there.  No-one ever corrected him.  Then, for
    a week or so, he'd say my name wrong then quickly try again and really
    stress the "r".  Again, no-one mentioned it to him.  Now he says it
    fine.
    
    This seems to work with grammar rules as well.  He used to say "mines"
    as in "that truck is yours and this one is mines".  Not surprising I
    guess given hiS, herS, yourS, and ourS.  He has just recently worked
    this one out and says "mine" correctly.
    
    I think that these are things that just come with time, and that trying
    to correct them would just be frustrating to a child wasn't yet to that
    point.
    
                                                 Tracy
    

This is a timely note.  During 4th of July week we visited family out of
state and Alex learned a new word... chip.  We were at a lot of beach
picnics and potato chips were always around.  With the older kids more than
happy to give their little cousin whatever he wanted, he just walked around
all day saying, "chip. chip. chip."  Of course, one would appear anytime he
wanted.  He was a happy camper!  And we now have living proof that, yes, a
child can live for a week on a 100% potato chips diet.

Since we got home he hasn't said it once (we don't normally by them).  I
kind of figured he forgot the word.  Maybe I'll buy some just to see if,
like a lot of replies have said, he knows it but just isn't using it.
(Of course, he may have us completely fooled and just not say it for
months!)


Marty

    At what age are kids supposed to start understanding words?  Is
    9-months too young?  Marc doesn't seem to understand anything I say,
    although he recognizes certain motions (like when I reach down to pick
    him up, he'll raise his arms, and when I put his bib on, he starts
    moving his mouth up and down).  What are the first things kids will
    start to understand?

    re: .9
    
    Sounds like Marc's about where David is at about the same age. 
    The only word I'm sure he recognizes is his name.  But he responds
    to actions -- he knows that when I get a certain cup down, cereal
    is  on its way soon, for instance.  And the other day he asked for
    a bath by standing by the tub, reaching for the faucet, grunting
    and groaning, and finally trying to climb in. 
    
    --bonnie

    JA (10 months) knows about 8-10 words ... and she's now putting meaning
    to them (although the meaning has a very wide spectrum -- eg.
    Ba-bba -> bottle -> anything eatable -> anything in the refrigerator
    -> anything in the mouth ...).  She seems to get the gist of the word,
    but the meaning is very broad.  She'll repeat and repeat the word for a
    few days and then go back to an old word, try to perfect the new one,
    or repeat one that she's mastered already.  She's also putting words
    together (and that cracks me up!!):  "See it, Daa-ddda", "tat_it_see",
    "see_bbaba_it_tat" ...
    
    I also try to talk to her a lot ... when I'm feeding her, when
    she's rolling around on the kitchen floor (while I'm preparing dinner),
    when she's bathing ... so now she's become quite the chatter-box.
    
    Her latest word is ... "see" ... which progressed to "see it?" (and
    she'd point).  Well, sometimes she gets really excited about something
    "new" and she runs off about 3 "see it"'s in a roll, dropping the space
    between the word ... something like "ss..eee..IT, ssss..hee..ITTT!"  
    Boy, did that turn a few heads in the grocery store's deli line this 
    week!
    
    I don't try to "fix" her words, as she will either:  1) get more
    determined to convince me the way she says it is JUST FINE with her; or
    2) she stops trying to say it.  She's perfected most of her words on
    her own "and WELL within HER determined timeframe".
    
    I love this 10-month stage ... it's just great ... JA's become her
    own Little-People:  walking, talking, self-entertaining, GIVES
    unsolicited hugs/kisses.  Now if I could just find a way to put her "on
    hold" for a while!
    
    Dottie

    Allyson, 9 months, knows who The Cowboy (cat) is and when you say,
    "Ally, where's the Cowboy?"  she gets all excited and starts looking
    around for him.  She also repeats a few words, but I don't know if
    she really understands what they mean.  She definately knows her name,
    however.
    
    - K

    Jason, 10 months, seemed to start picking up words around 8-9
    months.  His repretoire (sp?) includes mama, dada, bottle, birdie
    (his all time fave), kitty, doggy, etc.   He "talks" an awful
    lot but much of it is unrecognizable.   He can't seem to get the
    whole word out on most thing though...he'll point at the nieghbor's
    cat and say "K" sounds, for example.   I am quite sure that he 
    understands the word "NO", but refuses to acknowledge it :-(.
    
    cj/

    Our first son, Josh, also used to say "car" endlessly....his all-time
    favorite word and item. At almost 5, he still love any wheeled objects.
    Our youngest, now 15 mos., talks little ... excepte for "MommEEEEE!",
    but clearly understands a multitude of things. He has for at least 3-4
    months now. They understand *MUCH* earlierr than they can express
    themselves. He follows simple one step directions all the time. ("go to
    your highchair", "Give me your book") and repsonds appropriately to
    questions...brings an empty cup or bottle when asked if he wants more
    juice, looks up at the ceiling when asked "where's the light?" (really
    confused him when he's in a room without an overhead lite!).
    As to correcting their pronunciation...we never actually correct them,
    but we do something like this: Josh says, "I goed to Matt's house", and
    we'll say, "Oh, you went to Matt's house?". That way, he hears the
    correct form, without feeling corrected. It also helps him to feel sure
    we are listening and paying attention, and it sometimes helps avoid
    misunderstnadings. I think this is called "modeling" or something like
    that. Seems to work, whatever it is!
    He went through a long period saying "am'nt", when he was just
    discovering contractions...made perfect sense to him!!!!!!!!
    
    --dave--

    I still have to gloat now and then, AJ's dad is an officer on our local
    "call" fire department, and EMT on the ambulance. (In addition to being a 
    DECie)  By his first birthday and Christmas which were two weeks apart,
    he was saying fire truck.  This HAS to be some kind of unique first few
    words.  He has continued, I guess by osmosis, to learn not just fire
    truck, but by birthday two distinguished ladder truck, rescue truck,
    pumper, and still to this day garbles ambulance!  He reasons that if
    the ambulance is orange it's dad's and if it's red it belong's to Jeff,
    a friend of ours working for a private service.
    
    Lyn