Natalie sits contentedly after a long day of finger-pointingHere's a transcript from a recent interaction between Natalie and I:
Natalie sits on the living room floor. She looks out the window, points indiscriminately, and exclaims, "Ga!"
"Yes, that's a tree Natalie." I respond like the dutiful and magnificent father I am.
Shifting her focus, Natalie points to a painting on the wall. "Ga!"
"That, my love, is a painting."
Another shift, "Ga!"
"That is a plant. It's like a tree but smaller."
"Ga!"
"Once again, sweet-pea, that's a tree."
"Ga!"
"Yes, you've found the painting again."
"GAAAAAA!"
"That is a different painting. How very exciting..."
"Ga!"
"A plant."
"Ga! Ga! GAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
"OK. Yes. A bloody freaking tree again. Isn't it lovely in all its tree-ness."
This continues for another fifteen minutes, at which point I put the dog in charge.
Natalie has obviously discovered the joy of pointing. She wakes up from a nap and immediately points to one of her wall hangings. She gets her diaper changed and points, wildly flailing her arms as I try to describe what her little finger has found, while not getting poop on my own fingers.
What's interesting and simultaneously coma-inducing is that she really enjoys pointing out the same things over and over again. Some of her favorites are trees, paintings, ceiling fans, books, the dog, and the fact that Hillary Clinton lost.
I have no idea why these particular items have captured her attention but I do know that both Sara and I are running out of things to say about trees. I'm seriously considering hiring an Arborist for a day.
I've also tried strategically placing certain items nearby in the hopes that she would point to them and I could give diatribes about more interesting things like the Red Sox, The Lord of the Rings, or the rise of performance poetry...all of which I'm sure she would find extremely entertaining...
There will come a time when we teach Natalie that pointing isn't polite but right now pointing is one of the main tools she uses to learn about her world. Tiny little finger reaching out, asking what we know of the world, integrating this knowledge into her expanding universe...
I just hope her interest expands beyond trees sometime soon...
Natalie sits on the living room floor. She looks out the window, points indiscriminately, and exclaims, "Ga!"
"Yes, that's a tree Natalie." I respond like the dutiful and magnificent father I am.
Shifting her focus, Natalie points to a painting on the wall. "Ga!"
"That, my love, is a painting."
Another shift, "Ga!"
"That is a plant. It's like a tree but smaller."
"Ga!"
"Once again, sweet-pea, that's a tree."
"Ga!"
"Yes, you've found the painting again."
"GAAAAAA!"
"That is a different painting. How very exciting..."
"Ga!"
"A plant."
"Ga! Ga! GAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
"OK. Yes. A bloody freaking tree again. Isn't it lovely in all its tree-ness."
This continues for another fifteen minutes, at which point I put the dog in charge.
Natalie has obviously discovered the joy of pointing. She wakes up from a nap and immediately points to one of her wall hangings. She gets her diaper changed and points, wildly flailing her arms as I try to describe what her little finger has found, while not getting poop on my own fingers.
What's interesting and simultaneously coma-inducing is that she really enjoys pointing out the same things over and over again. Some of her favorites are trees, paintings, ceiling fans, books, the dog, and the fact that Hillary Clinton lost.
I have no idea why these particular items have captured her attention but I do know that both Sara and I are running out of things to say about trees. I'm seriously considering hiring an Arborist for a day.
I've also tried strategically placing certain items nearby in the hopes that she would point to them and I could give diatribes about more interesting things like the Red Sox, The Lord of the Rings, or the rise of performance poetry...all of which I'm sure she would find extremely entertaining...
There will come a time when we teach Natalie that pointing isn't polite but right now pointing is one of the main tools she uses to learn about her world. Tiny little finger reaching out, asking what we know of the world, integrating this knowledge into her expanding universe...
I just hope her interest expands beyond trees sometime soon...
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