Mom Talk

My soon to be 4-year-old has started a new pastime-eavesdropping. It’s natural I guess since she spends most of her time around adults. She tries to get in on the conversation. Unfortunately, I’m accustomed to speaking freely in front of her on most topics, not really thinking about the fact that she may understand what I’m talking about. My first clue that this was changing was a few months ago. I was on the phone with my mom complaining about the behavior of a relative and my daughter came up to me after I hung up and began asking for clarification on several points. This is a relative she knows and is very familiar with so I had to do some “creative truth telling” to cover myself. The last thing I wanted was for her to say something like, “Hey, Uncle George, my mommy says you talk too much,” the next time we’re all together (names have been changed to protect the guilty). Now that I’m realizing how much she understands, I am trying to be careful what I discuss in front of her but this is no small task. I’ve discovered that she can spell when the context is right (I guess she sounds it out!) so this is a whole new ballgame for me. I’ll keep you posted on any effective methods I uncover during this learning process.

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