Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Some thoughts from the 3% of my brain that I use.

Tonight after I changed Bun’s very wet diaper, he picked it up and toddled over to the kitchen. I followed him, intrigued. He stumbled a few times on the way there because he was also holding a pocket-size hymnbook and was wearing socks. He made it over to the trashcan and then looked at me as if to say, “Okay, open it.” So I opened the trashcan and he dropped it in and waved goodbye. I did detect a bit of curiosity in him about what else he might find in the trash. But overall I was impressed that he knew where to take the diaper—because I’ve never asked him or shown him.

This got me thinking, what else could I teach him? Or rather, what else have I taught him?

When Pookie was nine weeks old I had an appointment and recall asking the nurse (who I had just learned was pregnant with her third child), “What do you teach him at his age?” She was like, “At nine weeks?” I very earnestly said, “Yes. He doesn’t seem to pay attention very long and keeps falling asleep when I read to him. I recite his ABCs and nursery rhymes and play classical music for him. Is there anything else I could do?” I think she told me to nap and not worry about it yet.

I wonder how much more of our brains we would use if we were actively taught and exposed to a lot more stimuli at 9 weeks or 14 months. Even if we weren’t expected to retain anything but were given the chance, I bet we’d see a lot more Einsteins and Newtons. It seems a shame to not start teaching children until age 5.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I once had a pet flea that I taught very early in its life what happens when it is caught sucking my blood. I dare say that he retained this lesson forever.

MaryRuth said...

My sister is really good at this... she starts teaching her kids when they are brand new... my niece who is two is leaps and bounds above other children her age. at two years old she can recite her alphabet in Arabic (which my sister speaks) and knows all the songs, nursey rhymes, etc. She's a smart little kid. And funny too. Her sense of humor is so developed... sometimes you forget that you're talking to a two year old. I think it's great to start them out young.

A. said...

Kami is VERY into helping me in the kitchen right now. If I even go in there she starts excitedly asking me, "Can I help you mama?!" It's so much faster and easier to do things myself in there, but I've come to let her help wherever she can and it's been great.