Saturday, February 26, 2005
Pattern Language
A few days ago Boo uttered his first sentence. He was standing at our bedroom window watching Cassie chase birds in the backyard when we heard him say, “Bye-bye, bird!” Until now, Boo's words have been limited to mama, dada, Max, Harley, ball, bird, banana, backpack, cat and perhaps a few others that I'm forgetting right now.
What Boo lacks in vocabulary, though, he makes up for in animal noises. He can do a mean horse and dog and a passable cat, sheep, cow, tiger and owl. His bee sounds more like a hiss than a buzz. My personal favorite is his pantomime of a fish, opening and closing his mouth as if he were a tiny actor in a silent movie.
But don't think that Boo hasn't been communicating. On the contrary. Since he was very small, Boo has responded by imitating patterns. I'd pat him a couple of times, and he'd pat me back. Move his arms up down up down, and he'd do the same. Sometimes while holding him close, I'll create a rhythm with my breathing, slow-slow-fast-fast-fast, and he'll repeat it, grinning all the while. If the essence of conversation is to create an emotional connection between people, Boo and I couldn't be speaking any more clearly than we are at those moments.
Earlier this week, I was having lunch with Max and Boo. Max was playing with some felt stars that I'd cut out for him when he suddenly exclaimed, "Look! It's a pattern!" So we made up a new game. I'd say, "Fork, knife, spoon, fork, knife, spoon, fork, knife..." and Max would yell, "SPOON!" Or I'd say "Red, red, green, green, red, red, green, green, red..." and Max would shout, "RED!"
What I noticed about this game was that it held Max's attention for more than 30 seconds and that he was quite adept at playing. But what was really entertaining was Boo's reaction. Every time I created a pattern, Boo would start to giggle hysterically. It was so evident that he got it and was delighted by it. And that completely delighted me.
How Boo uses this aptitude as he gets older is anyone's guess, but I have no doubt he will find ways to express it. For example, we hear him now humming complete tunes like the alphabet song, so I wouldn't be surprised if he finds a musical outlet for his internal beat. I'm warning you, though: Anyone who buys Boo a drum set will be required to keep it at his or her own house.
What Boo lacks in vocabulary, though, he makes up for in animal noises. He can do a mean horse and dog and a passable cat, sheep, cow, tiger and owl. His bee sounds more like a hiss than a buzz. My personal favorite is his pantomime of a fish, opening and closing his mouth as if he were a tiny actor in a silent movie.
But don't think that Boo hasn't been communicating. On the contrary. Since he was very small, Boo has responded by imitating patterns. I'd pat him a couple of times, and he'd pat me back. Move his arms up down up down, and he'd do the same. Sometimes while holding him close, I'll create a rhythm with my breathing, slow-slow-fast-fast-fast, and he'll repeat it, grinning all the while. If the essence of conversation is to create an emotional connection between people, Boo and I couldn't be speaking any more clearly than we are at those moments.
Earlier this week, I was having lunch with Max and Boo. Max was playing with some felt stars that I'd cut out for him when he suddenly exclaimed, "Look! It's a pattern!" So we made up a new game. I'd say, "Fork, knife, spoon, fork, knife, spoon, fork, knife..." and Max would yell, "SPOON!" Or I'd say "Red, red, green, green, red, red, green, green, red..." and Max would shout, "RED!"
What I noticed about this game was that it held Max's attention for more than 30 seconds and that he was quite adept at playing. But what was really entertaining was Boo's reaction. Every time I created a pattern, Boo would start to giggle hysterically. It was so evident that he got it and was delighted by it. And that completely delighted me.
How Boo uses this aptitude as he gets older is anyone's guess, but I have no doubt he will find ways to express it. For example, we hear him now humming complete tunes like the alphabet song, so I wouldn't be surprised if he finds a musical outlet for his internal beat. I'm warning you, though: Anyone who buys Boo a drum set will be required to keep it at his or her own house.
1 Comments:
Oh, I remember Boo's physical pattern matching from early on - what I think of as "silent clapping," waving his arms back and forward.
When I've told a couple of musician/dancer friends about his rhythmic pattern matching and humming, their eyes have lit up, and they've said "He's going to be a musician/dancer." That's the exact same reaction I had.
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