I have a seven year old boy. Have you ever had one of those? Oh, my word. He talks CONSTANTLY. There is a non-stop stream of chatter about Star Wars, his paper airplanes, the latest Lego plan, and how he just climbed the magnolia tree and saw a huge bug. The commentary about his falling-out teeth, his big sister, why he doesn’t want to drink milk, and how his bangs make him “cute” starts as soon as his feet hit the floor in the morning, and don’t stop until he’s conked out in bed at night.
I know it’s an important time for language development. I love that his vocabulary and diction are precocious and varied. I love the funny little things he says, and the way he interprets everything around him. I love to watch his logic develop and change.
BUT….there are days when I just want quiet. When I just want him to be quiet. But I can’t tell him to be quiet. Even when I’d love a minute of quiet, I don’t want to tell him to be hush. I know that in just a few short years, he’ll be a teenager, and I’ll be straining to get basic sentences out of him rather than mere grunts. Maybe I’ll be fortunate, and my teenage son will keep talking to me. But I’m afraid that the stream of chatter will dwindle to a trickle, and on some days, stop altogether. So, I’m listening to the 100,000 words a day….storing up the memories, and cherishing this time. Because, most likely, it won’t last….
