when my mom took care of babies my favorite story is about this toddler named eli who took a while to talk and everyone was concerned about it but one day my dad was like “eli, can you say ‘car’?” and he looks at my dad and goes “yes, i can. why do you ask?”
my ex boyfriend’s first word was “mother” – followed by “i’d like another bottle of milk please.” – kids who don’t talk until they can bust out a whole sentence are the fucking greatest.
I wonder if first words have anything to do with how a child develops? My mother has told me that when I first spoke, I skipped right to a sentence. A command, even. I don’t have a “first word” recorded, just a sentence.
I simply pointed to the basement door, looked at my mom and dad, and told them to “Go downstairs.” Why? I don’t know, nor does my mother; she can’t even remember whether or not she actually complied.
