Evolution of an argument
I never thought I’d be tickled that my kids have started arguing.
Oh, not the push-pull-gimme-mine-scream kind of arguing. They’ve been doing that for ages and there is no end in sight. It’s not pleasant.
Nor am I talking about the times when they seem to be fighting over a syllable. We’ll be in the car, and Daniel will say “Becca! Becca! …. uh-huh!” And she freaks. “Nooo, Daniel!” And he continues. “Uh-huh!” “NOOOO!” “Uh-huh!” *giggle* “NOOOO, DANIEL!” That one’s weird, and a little hilarious, but not my current favorite.
No, what I love the most right now is the actual conversation. They pointedly speak to one another, listen, understand, and disagree. Hello, cognitive and language development! I love you!
Yesterday’s example: we were in the car on the way to a friend’s house. Daniel saw a backhoe, which is, of course, an endless source of delight and amusement. In his excited, drawn-out, stutter-y way, he said “It’s a backhoe, mommy! It’s for pushing dirt. And it spins.”
I wasn’t sure exactly what he was saying, so I repeated back to him, “it spins, buddy?”
“Yeah!”
Uh, OK. Not sure about the spinning backhoe. Apparently, neither was Rebecca. She replied calmly but firmly, “no, Daniel. Backhoe not for spinning. It for pushing dirt.”
They now do this sort of thing all day long. They verbally invite each other to play a game, take a toy, or any of their other daily activities. Sometimes one kid goes along with what the other says, and sometimes not. But I love watching them process the demand/order/request from the other kid and formulate an opinion and a response.
And to think that, this time last year, I was feeling a little nervous about the fact that they each had basically a single word in their vocabularies.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:17 am
Ned and Penny have none so that makes me feel better!
Mommy, Esq.´s last blog ..Hi, Mommy!
November 11th, 2009 at 10:34 am
Overhearing toddler conversations are at the top of my list of reasons for having twins. You know, because we all planned twins and all.
The word “stupid” is banned in our family. Well, someone used it on NPR this morning. This led to a huge long discussion about what constitutes a rude word and why it’s important to polite and how to handle it when other kids are rude. Three and a half years ago (plus one day!), these people were in utero. My mind is blown.
Sadia´s last blog ..Overheard 25
November 11th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Fun! I wonder if he’s talking about a backhoe’s ability to turn on a dime. I happened to be watching HGTV last night (because it’s mindless and doesn’t make me hungry like watching Food Network does), and noted a backhoe stopping and changing direction without moving from its spot. That’s spinning, right?
November 11th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Isn’t it amazing seeing this progress. I love listening to their little conversations. Even though I sometimes have to ask them to repeat themselves several times before I get it, they always seem to know what each other is saying. It is so wonderful to witness!
Erin´s last blog ..The Big Move
November 11th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
I love toddler conversations. Even when they’re arguing they’re usually pretty insightful!
Quadmama´s last blog ..Handle With Care
November 12th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
So sweet! I love my kids funny conversations too. A babysitter who hadn’t seen my kids in awhile told me that they argue like a sweet old married couple, which I thought was a great way to describe it.
Glad that they are talking so much!
Dana