the language barrier

here's my second post on 'continuing education'. i've been re-reading "Toddler Adoption: The Weaver's Craft" by Mary Hopkins-Best (which is excellent by the way) and trying to glean and remember all of the great information.

here was one little section that i found really interesting and wanted to mentally 'bookmark' for later.

for when we need to converse with our little noodle!

here's an excerpt that i found useful:

"Parents who share their thoughts on their first experiences in trying to understand their toddler - and to be understood in return - recommend that new families work on acquiring some functional vocabulary while they await their child's arrival.  Joining a language club, enrolling in a language class, or having a set of conversational tapes, compact discs, or books can focus parents' energies and allay their fears about communicating with their toddler in the first few weeks. One mother stressed the importance of learning some minimal survival phrases and words such as:


I'll be back
I am your mama/papa
no
yes
i love you
food/eat
stop
come here
show me where it hurts
toilet

Once home and part of their new families, it is astonishing to witness just how quickly toddlers adapt to a new language and begin to make it their own."