I got into an interesting conversation with four-year-old Nathan. Lately he has been concerned about tornadoes. When the sky clouds up with large cumulonimbus clouds, he almost freaks out. He was with me here in my office and asked me if I could go with him upstairs. I asked if he was afraid. “Yes,” he replied. I told him there was nothing to be afraid of; tornadoes don’t come around here in Ohio very often at all.
He then launched into a description of the process. Tornadoes can go into volcanoes and fire and lava come out. He had his own explanation so I took him to the Internet and showed him volcanoes and the process in which they erupt. Then we went into the subject of planets. He said there was something around a planet. I showed him Saturn.
You can't silence the kid very long. He then told me some things that he remembered at the age of three. I asked if he remembered when he was one. He nodded.
“What do you remember?”
“I was zero,” he replied. I wonder if he answered the question.
“Do you remember anything at that time?” I asked. I wanted to see how vivid his imagination was, or how much his memory went farther back.
“I was in Mommy’s belly,” he replied.
“Do you remember anything about that?” He shook his head but then said, “There were lights.”
He then launched into a description of the process. Tornadoes can go into volcanoes and fire and lava come out. He had his own explanation so I took him to the Internet and showed him volcanoes and the process in which they erupt. Then we went into the subject of planets. He said there was something around a planet. I showed him Saturn.
You can't silence the kid very long. He then told me some things that he remembered at the age of three. I asked if he remembered when he was one. He nodded.
“What do you remember?”
“I was zero,” he replied. I wonder if he answered the question.
“Do you remember anything at that time?” I asked. I wanted to see how vivid his imagination was, or how much his memory went farther back.
“I was in Mommy’s belly,” he replied.
“Do you remember anything about that?” He shook his head but then said, “There were lights.”
“Lights? Did you see anything?”
“No, it was dark.”
At his age, you wonder how much is imagination or memory, convoluted as it may be. Art Linkletter, move over.
“No, it was dark.”
At his age, you wonder how much is imagination or memory, convoluted as it may be. Art Linkletter, move over.
____________
How do you keep a child occupied? I had that experience when I downloaded a program off the Internet which had a text-to-speech feature. You type words and the computer will sound them out in the sentences you construct. Nathan noticed it so I had a little fun with him. I typed out “Nathan, are you being a good boy?” and a female voice sounded it out very convincingly. He grinned and said, “How does she know my name?” Every time a new name came up he wondered how she knew. He realized that my typing had a lot to do with it and gave me sentences to type so he could hear her talk.
The next day Nathan came down and told me to get out of the program I was in [Microsoft Word] and he would tell me what to do. He’s a little like Lucy, he gives orders. I was typing a letter, but I wanted to see what he wanted.
When I clicked out of the Word program he said, “Click on this [Start]…, click on this [Control Panel]…, click on this [Speech]." I did the rest by clicking on the text to speech folder. He then told me what to type, something about Miriam (his mother’s cousin). I typed “Nathan, you are not being very quiet. Miriam is not here to make you behave. Blizzard [his toy cougar] needs a boy who behaves himself. Miriam will soon not be here because she is going to be with Ervin [her fiance].”
Nathan’s eyes grew big, “How did she know about Ervin?” Well, the kid’s only four. As of September 10 he is in pre-school. He might as well go into first grade.
The next day Nathan came down and told me to get out of the program I was in [Microsoft Word] and he would tell me what to do. He’s a little like Lucy, he gives orders. I was typing a letter, but I wanted to see what he wanted.
When I clicked out of the Word program he said, “Click on this [Start]…, click on this [Control Panel]…, click on this [Speech]." I did the rest by clicking on the text to speech folder. He then told me what to type, something about Miriam (his mother’s cousin). I typed “Nathan, you are not being very quiet. Miriam is not here to make you behave. Blizzard [his toy cougar] needs a boy who behaves himself. Miriam will soon not be here because she is going to be with Ervin [her fiance].”
Nathan’s eyes grew big, “How did she know about Ervin?” Well, the kid’s only four. As of September 10 he is in pre-school. He might as well go into first grade.
____________
I was listening to Nathan while I was typing. He was sitting on the floor, talking to his toy parrot which repeats everything twice that Nathan says, in a two-second interval. He made all kinds of noises. He coughed and the parrot coughed; he made rude noises and the parrot repeated it. He sighed and the parrot sighed. He made pounding noises and the parrot repeated it—twice. He was having a lot of fun with it. The odd thing is that I didn’t mind it. It’s quite endearing. I should have recorded it.
But I finally chased him out. Later I heard him coming down the steps. I locked the door for peace and quiet. He tried the door but he didn’t say anything. Then I heard something being pushed under the door. It was an envelope, then another, and another. Lucy had gotten the mail and Nathan delivered it to my door. When he slid about six or seven pieces of mail through he apparently put his head to the floor at the door because I heard a loud “THE MAILMAN”. I thanked him, and he said, “YOUR WELCOME”, got up, and scampered back upstairs. You gotta give the kid credit for something…I don’t know what. He is acquiring more responsibility in assisting Lucy and me. I wish I had his energy!
But I finally chased him out. Later I heard him coming down the steps. I locked the door for peace and quiet. He tried the door but he didn’t say anything. Then I heard something being pushed under the door. It was an envelope, then another, and another. Lucy had gotten the mail and Nathan delivered it to my door. When he slid about six or seven pieces of mail through he apparently put his head to the floor at the door because I heard a loud “THE MAILMAN”. I thanked him, and he said, “YOUR WELCOME”, got up, and scampered back upstairs. You gotta give the kid credit for something…I don’t know what. He is acquiring more responsibility in assisting Lucy and me. I wish I had his energy!
No comments:
Post a Comment