Giving his thoughts on health care

What I especially like in this video is my voice in the background, squawking, in order to encourage Truett to talk. No, he's not gifted because I used flash cards, it was all in the cawing like a bird.

Comments

[Nancy]

How alert! How attentive! So adorable! ENCORE ENCORE. And I keep forgetting to ask you - will you want his babysitters to play with him? I know you didn't like that part of babysitting. (you know I will play with him, and get him safely out of burning houses)

[The Mom]

Daddy says that is very cute and he is very alert. He seems to me to be trying to talk-well, communicate, anyway. What a doll.

[Hope Sypert]

Nancy - I CANNOT believe you asked this question because the very thought popped into my head two days ago. And I have been mulling it over ever since. I think it boils down to this: a good babysitter is a good babysitter. When I talk about not liking the playing with kids part of babysitting it didn't mean I wanted to be in the far-off room watching tv. But more that I'd rather flip through a magazine cross-legged on the floor while the kids played Legos next to me. Just that, as an adult (or semi-adult), I resented a little bit being asked to be a playmate. That is whole-heartedly not an excuse for ignoring the child(ren). Of course now that I have Truett, I feel more tender hearted towards how I want him to be treated. I'm not even sure I could ever leave him with a babysitter (I'm assuming that'll change as he gets older).

Also, I do remember coming up with games a lot that appealed to both me and the kids - art projects, baking etc. I just also know there is only so much Tonka truck pushing you can do as a 17 year old girl.

[The Mom]

Well, my experience was that you do play with them, but it is more like goal-oriented play. Otherwise I got bored. So, as you say, a project - baking, art, "workbooks" that are truly enjoyable but target some goal like learning the alphabet or matching shapes or something. And then there was reading to the child. So you are engaged with him but not just pushing Tonka trucks around all day. Of course, you do some of that too, but just some.

[Nancy]

You are both WAY ahead of me. But I wish that had been me. My best babysitting effort would be - at a park. Best case scenario, they are asleep or almost asleep - and I can do my homework. (yes, I am available weekends). And the sixties had no TV really - like Sesame Street - which I WOULD have used. And cloth diapers, safety (?) pins, diaper pails, just misery. It would never have occurred to me to bake. (did I bake?) Art projects! Susan (girl scout co-leader) and I imported people to do projects- we were so inept. I did try to expose my children to the world of competent people. Who baked, built, sewed, designed. And my little boy did marry one. You know, trying to break the cycle. His daughter noted that I'm the grandmother who buys her clothes; "regular" grandmother sews them ("she can sew anything"). I'd tuck that "park" idea in a retrievable place, though. I think you and Truett are going to like parks. I think after you fall madly in love with children they can get boring. But it's too late. You're hooked. My mother's line: "I didn't know you were supposed to communicate with them . . I was just so happy when you children were quiet!"