Intelligence by Telepathy

I love to stare and marvel at the tiny (well, she's getting bigger now) creature who grew inside of me, then came out whole. I smile at her, carry her around, rock her in my arms, nurse her, and fall asleep with her. I proudly show her off to everyone I see and remember to shyly say thank you to those who compliment her when we go out in public. I dress her up and attempt to take pictures that I often flip through when I get the chance.

A few months ago my sister came by and was playing with Baby. She walked her around the house, pointing out and saying various object names. She took her outside and showed her the flowers, pointing out the roses and the colors. She touched her little nose and said, "nose."

While watching this interaction, I had a lightbulb go off above my head. As much as I love and adore my little child, I have to actually speak with her and teach her the vocabulary she needs to know. I can't just stare at her adoringly and expect her to pick up my thoughts telepathically. This may seem like such a simple concept, but I really had not thought about it.

Now, I try to make every moment teachable. I'm not much of a talker, so it is weird for me to hear my voice so much. I have to make a conscious effort to use language so that Baby learns it. I make sure I point out things as we walk around. I point out colors, and ask her for her left or right arm when she is getting dressed. I describe what we are doing when we play with toys, and try to give her associations with words. For example, "up" when I pick her up. Or "stand" when she wants to stand. Hopefully these things will help her develop, although it would be so much easier if we were telepathic.