I was having a pre-bedtime cuddle with my 4 year old daughter last night and she must have heard me use a word that she liked the sound of. I heard her repeat the word in a whisper a couple of times, presumably to practice it or relish the feel of it in her mouth. And then she was silent for a good 10 seconds. She looked up at me with a smile and said, "Mum, I have talking in my brain!" I was halfway to diagnosing a schizoid personality disorder when I realised that she was talking about thinking.
There is so much about this moment that I love! It makes me wonder at the incredible development of the human brain. Before we have adequate language skills I suppose we "think" without words. Is there a defining moment when we make the shift from not really thinking to some other kind of thinking to verbal thinking? Was this moment for my daughter something completely new for her? What I love the most is that she showed the capacity to think about thinking. It's a type of metacognition and for me it was a little nugget of gold. My little girl is growing up. With that kind of wondrous change in my life do I really need any other?
3 comments:
That is just so gorgeous!
Not a day goes past without one of my 3 children amazes me with their development and knowledge.
How profound, Kate! Still trying to get my mind around it!I love your blog. Emma sent me here!
What an incredible realisation for your daughter and for you! I love your blog, so thoughtful, honest and intelligent. I'm glad Emma guest posted your recipe, not just so I have a new recipe, but so I could find you in 'the tea room'. : ) Kim
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