Child Development, Take Two

As an education graduate student, I was required to take a class on child development. Upon entering a real-life classroom environment, I quickly forgot everything I had learned. As a mother, however, I am living and breathing a daily, hands-on class in child development. The stages of development that I once had to memorize are now taking place before my eyes. It is really an amazing experience, especially when it comes to comprehension.

Daniel is 16 months old, and his vocabulary is pretty much where it should be. He speaks often, but what comes out is mostly babble. I could probably list about a half-dozen words that he knows, including Dad, doggie, sit, and his current favorite, "this." Beyond his spoken vocabulary, however, lies a vast universe of comprehension. I am constantly amazed by how much of what I say Daniel actually understands. For example, when I ask him to get undressed, he tugs at his shirt and pants. This might not be rocket science, but I think it's amazing. If I say, "Put the basketball in the hoop," Daniel will drop what he is doing, walk across the playroom, and do just that. He even claps for himself after he completes the task!

I will continue to challenge Daniel by giving him increasingly more complex directions to follow, and by conversing with him as I have done since he was born. I'm confident that his vocabulary will grow and improve with time, and I know that pretty soon he'll be the one telling me what to do!