We're very lucky.
Jack is the sort of child
we all assume we'll have
when we decide to have children,
and the sort of child
less experienced parents
congratulate themselves for.January and February 2004
March and April 2004
May and June 2004
July and August 2004
September and October 2004
November and December 2004
Blogs we read:
Tuesday, Jun. 22, 2004 - Dad
Lost for Words
(or Breaking in the Babysitter)
Hi Again,
As I said in my last post, Jack has 20 or so words that he uses to communicate. He also understands several hundred words and phrases.
This sounds remarkable, and probably is, but there are times when 20 words are just not enough for our little boy.
Eric is a young lad of 15 or so years who is part of our social milieu. Jack took an instant liking to Eric when they first met, and so Eric became our first choice for a potential babysitter.
Being that Jack is very attached to Misti and I, and that Eric is pretty new to the babysitting game, I figured our first foray into the world of babysitting should be an �easy out� situation where I could be found in short order, if required.
It so happens that I had a doctor�s appointment last Friday, and so we decided to give this babysitting thing a whirl. Eric accompanied Jack and I to the U of M hospital clinic, and over the 20 minutes prior to my appointment, Jack and Eric got re-acquainted and settled in with books to read and people to flirt with.
My name was called in due course, and I gave Jack a quick kiss goodbye, but he was too busy playing to take notice.
I sat in the doctor�s room waiting for 10 minutes or so, when a nurse came rushing by. �Do you have a young baby in the waiting room?� she asked with the alarmed expression of a lady on an urgent mission.
�Yeah, that�d be Jack, with a young man named Eric�� Screaming the place down is he?� was my far-too-casual response.
�He�s very upset, can he come back here with you?� was her somewhat mystified answer.
The nurse looked even more mystified when I told her I was expecting this and asked would she please bring them both back.
Jack was sobbing hard with short breaths when he arrived, working valiantly to regain his composure.
Composure regained, he looked me sternly in the eye, and proceeded to tell me off. In my usual style, I cracked up laughing. He didn�t have words, but syllables would do, and his tone of voice and gesticulations left no doubt in my mind that I was being told �what for�.
You need to picture this. I weigh around 290 pounds. This strapping lad of 20 pounds and 2 foot 3 in stature is on my lap prattling away in incoherent syllables like a budgie (parakeet) who�s been severely put-out. If you can recall the classic cartoon scenario where the hapless husband is being told off by his nagging wife over the telephone and all you can hear are angry syllables��� That�s what Jack was doing.
I cracked up laughing some more and poor Eric didn�t know what to do.
I explained to Eric that this was round one, and if he and I could put up with the nagging, Jack would eventually get used to the idea. Eric agreed, and proceeded to crack up laughing as well when he realized he was being nagged by a two-penny tyrant.
Never let it be said that Jack let a small thing like a limited vocabulary stand in his way.
Take Care
Rod
