choo-choo

People often say that having a child is the greatest gift you can receive. At first it might not seem like it though. The first few months new parents are struggling to adjust to their new lifestyle and trying to figure things out. Slowly but surely somehow you get a handle on things. Our son really started communicating with us a few months ago and it’s quite amazing to see just how fast he learns. He now understands various parts of the body (I test him), he understands when we say “No” that he shouldn’t do something (we try not to overuse it), and now can say just a few things – his most recent being “tu tu.” He is a big Thomas fan and while I’m not a huge fan I must admit that the message it conveys is one of helping others and sharing. Now when Thomas toots his whistle I hear this cute little “tu tu.” He has also started saying “Nooooo” with a cute little roll of his face. Copied my gestures for “Where is it?” and “I don’t know” with a shrug of his shoulders and his palms turned up.

We can all learn a lot from children especially with regard to their curiosity – they want to know how everything works. They constantly ask questions, try their hardest (although many give up quickly when they can’t do something) and aren’t afraid of making mistakes. They mimic their parents and other children in both gestures and words. How amazing would it be if all students who are learning a language adopted the same methods?!

It is true what they say, “the simple pleasures in life are the best” and I think that’s one of the great joys of having a child, they remind us just how lucky we all are and how amazing life is.

Adrian