Gestures or manners are gestures

Tonight I offered to get Caroline more milk before our last song of the night. Thank ew, she said, as I headed to the kitchen. When she coughs she covers her mouth, and sometimes coughs so she can cover her mouth, both hands cupped over a big smile that meets her eyes wide open in glee. If you sneeze, burp or make any other random noise she’ll say “bess you” and she’s always got a please to hand out if she thinks it will persuade us. Yet I’ve never thought of her as an overly polite child. The three year olds in our play group are much more likely to generously share their toys (or their little brother’s toys) than is C. But she loves gestures and repetition and she is a mimic who remembers. Our babysitter has taught her to cover up a cough, take off her shoes when she walks in the door, wash her hands, say dekuji, na schledanou and ahoj. Caroline's a purist and when I try to make a joke and na zdravi clink our bananas together she gives me a bemused look, lifts her sippy cup instead and says na zdravi mommee, 'uv ew. She's about to be two and I can't believe how much I love her too.

Filed under: toddler_tales words gestures