Language

I've been thinking a lot about Greyson's language skills lately. Partly because they are emerging rapidly and amusing us, partly because his 18 month doctor visit is this week and we have a questionnaire to complete, with a section on language.

It is hard as a mother, especially a first-timer, to avoid the trap of comparing your child to others. It's mostly a benchmark, to make sure they're on the right track. But it sometimes turns into a competition. We hope that Greyson is incredibly smart, we would be happy to have a genius on our hands. And of course we're amazed daily by the things he says and does. A doctor might not see the signs of brilliance yet, but as his parents, we do! Of course in the end, we just want him to be happy, genius or not.

So this questionnaire is for 18-month olds, part of a developmental assessment they do to keep an eye out for autism, etc. I am trying to answer everything honestly, but it's hard not to try to get the answers "right!" Some of the questions are about things he does every day, has been doing for months. Others are about things we have not yet tried with him, or things he's not very interested in. So we tried to make it a point this weekend to try things out. Put a few raisins in a baby bottle and see if he can figure out how to get them out... See if he can draw a straight line with a crayon after he sees me do it... See if he can repeat a two-word phrase... and that's where we got stuck. Greyson does 90% of the things on the list, but he does not repeat or initiate two-word phrases. It's got us aflutter, egging him on and listening to his every word. Can other kids his age do this??? Is he behind?

And then I stop myself, think about his latest words, accomplishments, triumphs, and let it all go. We met a little girl in the neighborhood last week. She is 16 months old and a little behind developmentally. She had a lung transplant that set her back a bit. She cannot go to daycare, to the mall, to the park. She has to avoid germs because she's on anti-rejection medications that supress her immune system. Her mom was eager for her to be able to run, like she saw Greyson doing. So a little perspective was gained. Whevever he gets there, we'll be proud.